› added 5 years ago

125

TIL that pencils historically never had lead in them, they in fact always had graphite. When graphite was discovered, it was thought to be a form of lead, hence calling it "lead" in the pencil.

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pY9P8 TIL the song "It's My Party (And I'll Cry If I Want To)" was played for 18 hours at the student radio station at the University of Michigan the day after Ronald Reagan was elected U.S. President.
nWN6P TIL that blue whale calves can drink 60 gal / 225 liters of milk a day and can gain up to 8 lbs / 3.7 kg an HOUR.
4kkYg TIL Fool's gold a.k.a. the mineral pyrite can naturally form into artificial looking shiny cubes.
GYRj TIL that in 2010 the International Council on Security and Development conducted a survey that found that 92% of Afghan men have never heard of 9/11.
wLLKJ TIL the term 'soap operas' originated from daily 15 minute programs on the radio and were so-called because they were sponsored by soap companies, such as Colgate-Palmolive and Procter & Gamble. Soap operas were specifically engineered to appeal to women with the intention of increasing sale of soap