› added 4 years ago

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TIL Benjamin T. Babbitt (famous soap businessman) was one of the first known people to offer free samples to entice people to purchase his soap in the 19th century

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amnZ TIL when the United States started taxing tires imported from China, China retaliated by taxing chicken feet imported from the United States, costing American poultry farmers $1 billion in sales.
780Rx TIL of the “Squeeze”, which was a type of accident in the early days of diving causing a catastrophic loss of pressure in the diving suit of the diver. The immense pressure would suck the skin and organs up into the heavy copper diving helmet, leaving the bones and straps of flesh in the diving suit
DQOXP TIL the state of Rhode Island had no constitution until 1843, instead relying upon the original Royal Charter from King Charles II. Because of a second constitutional convention in 1984, the charter remains the longest serving government of the state at 180 years.
0Pxv TIL in 2012, the parents of a teenage girl found out that their daughter was pregnant because Target’s internal computers had tracked their daughter’s purchases, concluded that she was pregnant and began sending her coupons geared towards pregnancy items
EG0w TIL There hasn’t been a decade since 1845 where an element HASN’T been discovered…