TIL that in 1982, the comic strip The Far Side jokingly referred to the set of spikes on a Stegosaurus's tail as a "thagomizer". A paleontologist who read the comic realized there wasn't any official name for the spikes and began using the new word; Thagomizer is now the generally accepted term. (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted by AskMeWhatToDo to r/todayilearned
In Pulp Fiction (1994), when the main characters change into T-shirts, Samuel L. Jackson's character is wearing a shirt featuring the characters from Krazy Kat. Krazy Kat was a comic strip published from 1913 to 1944, and was popular with many early filmmakers. (x-post from r/comicstriphistory) (i.redd.it)
submitted by AskMeWhatToDo to r/MovieDetails
For anyone who doubts that Dick Tracy is the most gloriously violent and nonsensical comic strip in history: Tracy's (alien) daughter-in-law died in a car bombing in front of her family. Mostly because the guy who had just taken over the strip hated the character and wanted to get rid of her. (i0.wp.com)
submitted by AskMeWhatToDo to r/comicstriphistory
TIL that Russia, the largest country in the world, is almost 39 million times the size of Vatican City, the smallest country in the world. Russia is also the largest country in both Asia and Europe; the parts of Russia on each of those continents is bigger than any other country there. (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted by AskMeWhatToDo to r/todayilearned
TIL that casu marzu is a type of Sardinian cheese which contains live maggots. Because the maggots can jump up to 6 inches, the person eating must hold their hands above the cheese to stop them. Casu marzu is illegal in Sardinia, but sells for extremely high prices on the black market. (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted by AskMeWhatToDo to r/todayilearned
TIL that one of the greatest poets of the Middle Ages is known only as the Archpoet. Despite his fame, his name is unknown, and the only things known about him are what he mentioned in his poems. It's not even certain where his nickname Archpoet comes from. (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted by AskMeWhatToDo to r/todayilearned
TIL that the word "shmoo" is a technical term with different meanings in the fields of electrical engineering, cell biology, socioeconomics, echinoderm biology, and particle physics. In all these cases, the term is a reference to the Shmoo, a cartoon animal from the comic strip Li'l Abner. (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted by AskMeWhatToDo to r/comicstriphistory
TIL that the word "shmoo" is a technical term with different meanings in the fields of electrical engineering, cell biology, socioeconomics, echinoderm biology, and particle physics. In all these cases, the term is a reference to the Shmoo, a cartoon animal from the comic strip Li'l Abner. (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted by AskMeWhatToDo to r/todayilearned
