› added 11 years ago

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TIL that the “Festivus” holiday was actually invented in the 1960s, not by Seinfeld; Seinfeld only served to popularize it

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neNB7 TIL many neurologists believe that the phaseout of leaded gasoline in the United States caused the average IQ to increase by several points.
R51Gw TIL That Glen Hansard started dating 19 year old ex-girlfriend Marketa Irglova when he was 37. They met when she was only 16 and helped manage her career. He admitted he "had been falling in love with her for many years prior to dating but kept telling himself she was just a kid"
VM548 TIL that Stephanie Kwolek the inventor of Kevlar was working on finding a new, lightweight substitute for steel belting in automobile tires, on fears of a looming oil shortage and in anticipation of a market for lighter tires. What resulted was a new fiber five times stronger than steel by weight.
grK1D TIL An anatomy professor named Dr Pedro Ara, best known for embalming Eva Peron and composer Manuel de Falla, carried the preserved head of an elderly peasant in his luggage to show off his skills to potential clients.
xVkAo TIL It took mankind 50 years, 3 months and 26 days to advance from Wright's first manned flight to Gagarin's' first manned space flight. Today we are further in history from Gagarin's historic flight than he was from Wright's flight.