› added 12 years ago

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TIL the word ‘buck’ as a synonym for dollar originates with the use of buckskins as currency in the 18th century.

Read more wordorigins.org

via reddit.com

LvNZ TIL that “Pocari Sweat”, a Japanese soft/sports drink, will be the first commercial product advertised on the Moon following a capsule launch planned in October 2015.
kOvDB TIL Concerned about the number of cobras in Delhi, British colonial officials created a bounty, only to discover secret cobra farms created to collect the bounty. When the officials shut down the program the farms released their snakes, meaning they had far more cobras than before they started.
1a58W TIL that in July 2018, scientists from 4 Russian institutions collected and analyzed 300 prehistoric worms from the permafrost and thawed them. 2 of the ancient worms revived and began to move and eat. One is dated at 32,000 years old, the other 41,700 years old.
yV8bV TIL that there's an Indian restaurant chain called “Oh! Calcutta”. But it bears no relation to the 1969 controversial, totally-nude, avant-garde revue which ran for 5,959 performances, which made it the longest-running revue in Broadway history at the time.
JY7wQ TIL: roundabouts have many benefits such as, reducing crashes by 39% and decreasing fatality rate from crashes by 90%, costs less to maintain and saves gas consumption by 30%.