“We recently found out, for example, that Bob Odenkirk almost nabbed the role of The Office’s Michael Scott; and Paul Rudd was in the running for Jim Halpert. And as for those centuries-old rumors that Renaissance painter Raphael died of syphilis? A new study explained why they’re probably just rumors. 2020 also gave us dazzling, high-resolution photos of the sun, the truth about a massive fossil egg previously known as “The Thing,” and intriguing details about Britain’s most infamous 19th-century shipwreck.” Mental Floss: 100 Interesting Facts We Learned in 2020. (Finding 100 facts in 2020 is a remarkable achievement.)