› added 6 years ago

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TIL about "Soldier's Disease" AKA morphine addiction. Due to it's widespread use as a painkiller, the Civil War produced over 400,000 morphine addicts.

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VZG4 TIL that Henry Dow, founder of Dow Chemical, broke a German Monopoly on bromine by buying chemicals in America that the germans were selling at a loss to put him out of business, and reselling them in Germany for a profit.
w0nY TIL 22 US veterans kill themselves every day
egrk TIL the State of Mississippi borrowed $7 million from creditors in England to issue bonds for the creation of two state-owned banks, and rather than repay the debt, Mississippi amended its constitution to prohibit repayment in its entirety.
6wO8 TIL spray paint used to cake up in automobile factories to such a degree that it could be cut, polished, and set in jewelry. The resulting stone is known as “Fordite” or “Motor Agate”
1j0P TIL Tostitos made a promotional bag for the Superbowl that had sensors to detect alcohol on a person’s breath. If alcohol was detected the bag gave a 10% discount for Uber, and also had a NFC tag to call the driver.