› added 9 years ago

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TIL that Beate Uhse was a stuntwoman and Luftwaffe pilot in WWII, ferrying around planes and jet fighters. After the war she started a mail order business sending out pamphlets teaching young girls about the rhythm method, which became the world’s first sex shop and later a €280 million business.

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rRAp1 TIL that in 2015 the town of Collecchio in Italy passed a law requiring the use of "silent fireworks" to help reduce stress on veterans, pets, children, and wildlife. While not completely silent, they are much quieter than traditional fireworks and can be more colorful.
W7Yx4 TIL that the Sun's atmosphere is hotter than its surface
m1jBE TIL of Robert Kearns who invented the Intermittent Windshield Wiper System only to have his invention stolen by the Big 3 auto manufacturers. He then sued and won.
PYo1O TIL that the price of bread was commonly regulated across medieval Europe. As bread was essential to the lives of medieval peoples, these laws protected common people from fraudulent bakers
YpvAZ TIL that the first battle of WWI consisted of a British ship firing a single shot at a German ship on Lake Nyasa (now Lake Malawi) in Africa, and taking the captain "prisoner." The two captains had been drinking buddies for years, and weren't about to let the war ruin it.