› added 1 month ago

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TIL that Toyota Motor Co was originally named after it's founder Toyoda, but the name was changed to Toyota because it sounds better and in Japanese characters it is 8 strokes, a lucky number, versus the 10 strokes for Toyoda. (Obviously in Japanese, not anglicized spelling)

Read more wilsonvilletoyota.com

via reddit.com

mJgP TIL after French soldier Jean Bernadotte showed kindness to a few Swedish soldiers, he became so popular in Sweden that the Swedes decided to make him their king when a vacancy came up, despite him never having set foot in Sweden before. The House of Bernadotte rules Sweden to this day.
n0Xd TIL In the 19th century, sunglasses were being worn by those suffering from syphilis. This was because sensitivity to light is a symptom of the STD.
Bg8Pb TIL there's a company that sells mushroom,herb, and gardening kits, that will donate a free kit to a classroom of your choice, all you have to do is post a picture of your grow.
mxGjM TIL at a time when the typical burger was 35 cents, McDonald's sold them for for 15 cents each, thanks to having a more efficient and low-cost sales model for their food. This led to increased sales and allowed for expansion of the chain.
b6kKN TIL that the songwriter Bob Dylan was awarded the 2016 Nobel prize in literature for "for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition"