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TIL in 1660 Prince Rupert brought bulbous shaped glass "drops" to King Charles II. These were the first instance of a predecessor to tempered glass. They could withstand a blow from a hammer on the bulbous end without breaking, while exhibiting explosive disintegration if the tail was damage.

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b9Xd9 TIL The United States of America does not have an official language. In 1780, John Adams tried to pass a proposal which stated English as the official language, but it was deemed a threat to individual liberty.
QNnpa TIL that the current year in Ethiopia is 2017. The Ethiopian year starts on 11th of September or on the 12th September in a Gregorian leap year. It is seven to eight years behind the Gregorian year owing to alternate calculations in determining the date of the annunciation of the birth of Jesus.
e0LgE TIL the Amazon river was named by Spanish conquistador Francisco de Orellana. After skirmishes with a native tribe whose women fought alongside the men, Orellana derived the name from the Amazons described in Greek myth.
dD9PE TIL that when his team was down 2 points with 8 seconds left and no timeouts, Nets coach Jason Kidd had a player bump into him, spilling a Coke on the court forcing a stoppage in play. He was fined $50k
165WD TIL that there are more possible iterations of a game of chess than there are atoms in the observable universe