› added 6 years ago

394

TIL that a retailer was purchased for £340 million, and two years later, sold for £1

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via reddit.com

BrN4k TIL Confucius's real name was just "Kung" or "Kong." Confucius is a latinization of "Kong Fuzi," which really means "Grand Master Kong"
70pP TIL in 1959, a segregationist school board shuttered its district rather than allow black students; whites took school vouchers and attended a local private academy (which did not integrate until 1986)
4kPDR TIL that the Princess Taiping would have been the first traditional Chinese junk to sail to America and back—if it didn't get rammed by a Norwegian tanker with 30 miles left
wob0P TIL of CFTR modulators, which can dramatically reduce the severity of the most common form of Cystic Fibrosis. Children and teens starting treatment in the UK today are predicted to have an average lifespan of 80+ years as long as they maintain treatment, up from ~35 years with only supportive care.
nerEr TIL - Airline Engine Manufacturers occasionally test how well their engines can withstand the impact of a flock of birds. To do this, they use what is called a "Chicken Gun"; where they fire dead chickens into a running engine through a large diameter cannon.