› added 10 years ago

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TIL that carrots used in canned soup are specially-bred giant carrots the size of baseball bats, because normal carrots don’t stand up to the vigorous production process.

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obRL TIL Fred Rogers was committed to racial diversity, and not long after inner-city riots erupted following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr, Rogers introduced the character of a black police officer keeping everyone safe in the neighborhood.
KQLa TIL that Justin Bieber’s mother, Pattie Mallette, was a thief and drug dealer, before she tried to kill herself by throwing herself in front of a truck. She survived, but was admitted into a mental institution. After her release she fell pregnant and gave birth to Justin - all before she was 18.
R54ma TIL "gene guns" (referred to formally as biolistic particle delivery systems) exist. They work by firing small, metal bullets coated with genetic material at a target. While normally used on plants due to the relative ease of transformation, they have also been tested on animal cell cultures.
E189P TIL that hockey goalie Clint Malarchuks throat got slashed by skate during a live NHL game, the injury was so bad that 11 fans fainted, 2 got heart attack and at least 3 players vomited on the ice. The wound was so bad that it needed 300 stiches. Clint was back on ice just a week later.
vPQax TIL that Hans Christian Andersen frequently accompanied his younger Danish friends to Paris brothels, where, while his companions "amused themselves", he talked to the sex workers