› added 12 years ago

505

TIL in 1994, Howard Stern talked a caller out of jumping off the George Washington Bridge as a nation listened

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5YrJn TIL Bubble wrap was originally designed to be used as wallpaper for homes. It was invented by engineer Al Fielding and Swiss inventor Marc Chavannes in 1957. They were trying to create a textured wallpaper.
RGZQ TIL of planet HD 189733b, where it constantly rains molten glass of over 1500°F horizontally in 6000kmph winds
epgM4 TIL that Bill Murray was pulled over for suspicion of driving a golf cart while under the influence of alcohol.
d8wK7 TIL that Sojourner Truth's famous speech, "Ain't I a Woman", was altered by a white abolitionist, who rewrote her speech for publication in a stereotypical "southern black slave dialect". Truth actually grew up speaking Dutch and took pride in her "fairly correct English"
PYrke TIL In 1941, the NKVD (precursor to the KGB) executed around 100,000 people in the space of 5 months.