› added 4 years ago

43

TIL that J. K. Rowling was the world's first billionaire author. After giving away much of her earnings to charity, she lost her billionaire status.

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

VMgnQ TIL That if you smell a natural gas leak, that you should not turn off a light switch as it creates a spark
KOnB4 TIL that despite Diogenes' notoriety for philosophical stunts, including his exchanges with Plato and Alexander the great, the philosopher has no surviving written works. Considered to be one of the founders of cynicism, Diogenes is said to have written 10 books, 7 tragedies and a volume of letters.
9QpQ TIL the first pedestrian killed by a car in UK happened on August 17th 1896. Mrs Bridget Driscoll was frozen in place by panic as a car ran her over at the incredible speed of 4 MPH.
7ryBM TIL Celebrity Chief Julia Child helped develop a recipe for Shark Repellent during WWII
KLVa TIL of Rat Park. When given the choice between normal water and morphine water, the rats always chose the drugged water and died. When in Rat Park where they had space, friends and games, they rarely took the drug water and never became addicted or overdosed despite many attempts to trick them