› added 12 years ago

90

TIL that Snorri Thorfinnsson, born between 1004 and 1013 in present day Newfoundland, was the first person with European parents to be born in North America

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

KYe0a TIL that in the original draft of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, nine Golden Tickets are offered, with more children succumbing to the Factory. One such character and her father (a schoolmaster) are presumably killed and turned into candy that temporarily makes children sick to get out of school
8eYNa TIL Iran had pro-American riots in 1919
8a9pb TIL that the Royal Navy once saved 5 million pounds in training by having personnel shout "bang" instead of firing live rounds
1PG7 TIL Fiat’s original car factory was designed so that each car would progress upwards story by story as it was assembled until it was finalized at the top, where it would be tested on a rooftop test track.
MeVE0 TIL that one of the mint plant's first known uses in Europe was as a room deodorizer. The herb was strewn across floors to cover smells since stepping on the mint helped to spread its scent through the room.