› added 9 years ago

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TIL that safety concerns about “pencil lead” were actually about lead being in the yellow paint on the pencils. Graphite has always been used as the core, and there was never a “lead” pencil in this century

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via reddit.com

awV8A TIL of Machine Identification Code (MIC), a pattern of yellow dots color printers add to their output that has metadata about the printer, the document and the operator. Its existence was secret for more than 15 years.
WkGk4 TIL despite its negative reaction, New Coke continued to be sold as "Coke II" in limited markets until it was quietly discontinued in 2002
Bgdlb TIL A WWII Japanese kamikazi pilot survived the war, and when interviewed 60 years later, talked about the burden of surviving
4X6O5 TIL of Salem Poor, a slave who purchased his freedom, and fought in the battle of bunker hill. His actions earned him the praise of 14 officers who called him "a brave and gallant soldier"
Vmdk TIL Avocados are an example of evolutionary anachronism. They evolved in order to attract megafauna. A large animal would eat the fruit and carry the seed in its digestive system.