› added 5 years ago

71

TIL that Exxon used to be known as Esso, a phonetic spelling of "S.O." for Standard Oil after it was forced to break up into 34 smaller companies. It is still widely known as Esso outside the US.

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

6EQ07 TIL that like homo sapiens, tasmanian devils are the last surviving species of their genus.
R5Z8a TIL that Matt LeBlanc (Joey from Friends) starred in a movie about a chimpanzee with prodigious baseball talent. It made 18% of its budget, has a 6% on Rotten Tomatoes, and was nominated for four Razzie awards, including Worst Picture and Worst Screen Couple.
DoRJ TIL that the Soviets used to send astronauts up with a sawed-off shotgun to fight off bears when they returned to Earth in the Siberian Wilderness.
8rmK TIL The Make A Wish foundation was the brainchild of two Arizona cops, dreamed up while flying home from the funeral of a little boy who had they made an honorary officer, after the boy was diagnosed with leukemia
w9pP TIL Cars have become so quiet, automakers have resorted to playing fake engine noises from the speakers