› added 6 years ago

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TIL in the early days of drugstore ice cream counters and soda shops, medicine such as cocaine and heroin were added to drinks at the customers discretion. The sweet flavors helped cover up the bitter taste of the medicine.

jNJNp TIL Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust" was used to train medical professionals to provide the right number of chest compressions per minute while performing CPR, due to its bassline having a tempo close to that recommended by the British Heart Foundation.
awLjb TIL that some retailers who price match, purposely change the model numbers on some electronic items and appliances so they won't have to accept your price match inquiry, even if they item has the same model number in their product photos as another retailer.
DQx8j TIL that the largest urban old-growth forest in the United States is Wesselman Woods. It is located in the middle of Evansville, Indiana. 190-acres of virgin forest - tree cores date back to the 1650s and 90s for some of these trees. 🌳
78ldO TIL that from the beginning of the Cold War to 1978, the US Army created a fictionalised opposing force known as the Aggressor Republic to train against in war games. The fictional Mediterranean nation was detailed enough that it had its own backstory and unique forces structure [PDF warning]
BgmMy TIL In WW2 Germany built an underground fortress in France to fire V-3 superguns at London. The artillery had a range of 103 miles and the potential to fire at 60 rounds a hour.