› added 5 years ago

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TIL Vans' original store didn't have any shoes for sale when it opened in 1966. Still, 12 people ordered shoes based on the samples on display, but when they returned to get their shoes, the owners couldn't make change. The owners said to take the shoes and return later to pay. All 12 customers did.

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R7G96 TIL that Aboriginal Australians often traveled to Indonesia for trade, and when British explorers first visited inland Australia they met an Aboriginal man who had already learned English from his visit to Singapore.
RDg8 TIL In 1915, a woman was late to her sister’s funeral. When she arrived, she demanded that her sister be exhumed so that she can see her one last time. Upon opening the coffin, the “dead” woman sat up and smiled. Mayhem ensued.
VBM10 TIL in 2007, casting agents in the UK were struggling to find British children that could speak with an RP accent. There is the belief that this was the direct result of overconsumption of Australian TV shows, especially Neighbours.
neGVr TIL that the term "tire", the rubber component of a vehicle's wheel, comes from the word "attire", from the idea that a wheel with a tire is a dressed wheel.
5Yok9 TIL Columbus was marooned on the shores of Jamaica in 1503. The indigenous people gave his crew food but were tired of them stealing. After several months of this, they refused to help. Then Columbus used an upcoming blood moon to convince them God was mad at them. They started giving food again.