› added 3 years ago

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TIL the first steam turbine was invented in the 1st century by Greek engineer Hero of Alexandria, along with the first wind organ, vending machine, and piston pump. Most of his works were written off as party tricks or display relics for temples.

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NY9Q TIL that a man in California was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for stealing a slice of pizza due to a previous felony record and three-strikes laws
neMo TIL Pencils have always used graphite for writing, the danger during the 1950’s and before came from the lead based paint on the pencil
lj95 TIL Fred Phelps once posted the Onion article “‘98 Homosexual-Recruitment Drive Nearing Goal” on the Westboro Baptist Church website as proof that homosexuals were trying to recruit others.
VBG8B TIL That in the original version of The Hobbit, Gollum willingly surrendered the Ring to Bilbo as reward for winning a Riddle Game. However, as Tolkien conceived LOTR, he realized that the Ring's grip on Gollum would never permit him to give it up willingly. Bilbo steals the ring in the 2nd edition.
kOjeE TIL that NASA first confirmed the existence of water on Mars in 2008, when the Phoenix lander became the first man-made object to touch and sample true water on Mars.