TIL: Today I Learned

[Phrossack]

I'm there, dude, I'm THERE!

Error: Reference not understood.

 

[Gori the Grey]

TIL Thomas Jefferson coined the word "neologism".

The Oxford English Dictionary credits Jean Nicholas Jouin, chevalier de Sauseuil, a 1772 usage. Is Jefferson's earlier? If so, you should contact the dictionary; they love to get info that leads to antedatings.

 

[bhsup]

Error: Reference not understood.

Just a nice pic of a guy in full body clothing and a big hat. Nothing more

 

[shadowplay]

til yaz and yazoo are the same band

Yeah, something about "Yazoo" being perceived as derogatory.

 

[madviking]

apparently it was for legal reasons

 

[cybrxkhan]

There is a brand of confectionary in Hungary called "Negro", apparently named after the guy who invented it, whose name was Pietro Negro.

 

[shadowplay]

TIL some supermarkets deliberately mislabel rockfish as "snapper" in order to increase it's appeal.

 

[bhsup]

You probably don't want to know what canola oil is actually called.

 

[shadowplay]

The problem isn't the sound of the name, the problem is "snapper" is not rockfish at all. They're different things.

 

[SamSniped]

You probably don't want to know what canola oil is actually called.

My friends and I had quite the giggle when a Nutter Butter package said "hydrogenated rapeseed oil" on it

 

[Valka D'Ur]

You probably don't want to know what canola oil is actually called.

I grew up hearing its original name, and nobody giggled or got upset about it.

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

Good job, Australia.

Melbourne was the only British Commonwealth naval vessel to sink two friendly warships in peacetime collisions.[1]

 

[gay_Aleks]

Today, I learnt that The Flintstones's run was from 1960-1966. Which explains, say, half of the situations there.

 

[Phrossack]

TIL that there are a few men left in Belgium who trawl for shrimp by riding horses out to sea and dragging nets behind them. But each year there are fewer and fewer shrimp left. Yet another centuries-old tradition dying.

 

[cybrxkhan]

TIL a long time ago some scientists wanted to see if humans could teach dolphins human concepts and stuff, so they isolated a male dolphin with a female trainer in a mother-son-esque relationship for several weeks, but the dolphin ended up getting the hots for the woman and to placate him she had to basically give the dolphin handjobs (while... under observation by other scientists, which is kind of not kinky); inevitably the experiment ended.

Sounds like the plot of a great rom-com, if you leave out the dolphin handjobs.

 

[classical_hero]

You've got to hand it to her for being a hands on woman with her job.

 

[shadowplay]

TIL there's a small hamlet in France named "La Mort aux Juifs", which translates as "Death to the Jews".

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-28764207

But the deputy mayor of Courtemaux, Marie-Elizabeth Secretand, appeared to downplay any concerns over the name, telling Agence France-Presse news agency: "It's ridiculous. This name has always existed."

"No one has anything against the Jews, of course. It doesn't surprise me that this is coming up again," she added.

France.

 

[gay_Aleks]

TIL there's a small hamlet in France named "La Mort aux Juifs", which translates as "Death to the Jews".

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-28764207



France.

Can't beat the village in Austria named "F-Word".

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

TIL "Canada is the only G8 country that does not have high-speed rail". Highly, highly disappointing.

 

[Cutlass]

The US doesn't really either. Only medium speed.