› added 9 years ago

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TIL in a test of cognitive dissonance, researchers paid participants either $1 or $20 before completing a boring 1-hour task. Afterwards, those who were paid $1 said the study was stimulating while those paid $20 said they hated it; the low-paid people had to rationalize doing the task for only $1.

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vPj4D TIL the Coffee Break was first utilized during WWII at a necktie factory in Colorado. Wigwam Weavers gave two coffee breaks a day to its workers so that the caffeine boost would increase productivity.
MeZPB TIL Hurricanes do not generally have thunder nor lightning - thunder and lightning are formed by vertical winds that cause water and ice to rub together, and most hurricane winds are horizontal
9YYPQ TIL that in 2014, Assyriology specialist Dr Irving Finkel translated a cuneiform tablet that predates the Bible, which described a flood, much like the story of Noah. However, this story described the ark not as oblong, but round in shape.
v1mVL TIL the Mary River turtle, native only to the Mary River in Australia, is known for the algae sprouts that often grow on its body and even on its head. Remarkably, the turtle can breathe out of gill-like glands in its cloaca, used for both mating and excretion, and stay under water for up to 3 days.
9PdD TIL after the success of The Hobbit, Tolkien wanted to publish a book on the history of Middle Earth, The Silmarillion, it was through a misunderstanding that the publisher rejected the draft without reading it, leading Tolkien to write another story about hobbits, which began The Lord of the Rings.