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TIL in 1970 Nike offered Spencer Haywood either $100,000 or 10 percent of the company in exchange for promoting the company’s shoes. He chose the 100k over the stock that would be worth $8.6 billion today

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mByY TIL of “Fan Death”, a well known myth in South Korean culture, that running an electric fan in a closed room with unopened or no windows can lead to death. Despite no concrete evidence to support the concept, fan death persists due to its popularity as an urban myth or superstition.
M7XGm TIL the verb “to duck” existed before the name of the animal. Originally called an “ened” in Old English, the waterfowl was later referred to as a “duck” (or a “ducker”) because of how it would duck underwater for food.
oBpDY TIL that Maldivian is written using a unique alphabet which uses Arabic numerals as its first nine consonants, and Indic numerals for the following nine. The script may have been invented as a secret code before being adopted for more general use.
MeajA TIL Lighthouses had different techniques for rotating the light, most being too slow, making the light less visible. Augustin Fresnel proposed a mercury flotation system in 1825. Despite some lenses weighing over 6,000 lbs. the design reduced friction, increased rotation, and ultimately saved lives.
8APb TIL that for his role in Animal House, Donald Sutherland was offered $35k + 15% of the film’s gross. Thinking the film would be a flop, Sutherland negotiated a flat fee increase to $50k with no percentage of the gross. That decision cost him roughly $20 million.