› added 9 years ago

825

TIL Angostura bitters labels are too big for the bottle because two brothers that started the company, one designed the label, the other, the bottle, and they didn’t consult with one another about the size. It became their signature.

Read more alcademics.com

via reddit.com

d8OXd TIL that statisticians, Ruth O'Brien and William Shelton, tried to make standardized U.S clothing sizes for women in the 1940s by measuring 15,000 women. They came up with a three part sizing system due to the diversity in body shapes. It was rejected because it was too difficult for manufacturing.
J1bXm TIL In the middle ages it was customary to fly the opposing lords banner when surrendering, to signify a changing of allegiance. The many French victories during this period led to the Capetian dynasty’s white banner becoming associated with surrender in general as the white flag.
JYbEj TIL that a Kentucky man escaped from jail after a friend of his faxed the prison a false demand for his release from a grocery store. It took two weeks for the authorities to realize their mistake and start looking for him. He was found at his mother’s house.
wL6W1 TIL that Tsar Bomba (most powerful explosive ever detonated by mankind; 4000x Hiroshima; 59 mi high mushroom cloud 10x height of Mt. Everest) was dropped with a parachute so the release plane could fly 28 miles away, giving the crew a 50% chance of survival...
4kLn5 TIL Though not as often referenced or as documented, the Connecticut Witch Trials took place about 30 years before the Salem Witch Trials and were the first of their kind recorded in American history.