› added 4 months ago

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TIL that in 1990 Volvo nearly destroyed its reputation in the US with a staged ad campaign in which they claimed their cars could not be crushed by a Monster Truck. The Volvo had been reinforced and the other cars weakened for the stunt.

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x6Bbk TIL Cavalry (horses) and Calvary (site of crucifixion) are different word with distinct meanings
Oomo1 TIL There was a Chinese man who faked his way into becoming a musician for the King of Qi without knowing how to play the instrument at all. He imitated movements of other musicians and was paid a good salary in the ensemble until the King died. The new King preferred solo performances, so he fled
M7rya TIL Roger Federer made the 2021-23 Forbes list of highest paid athletes almost solely through sponsorship deals. In that timeframe, he earned only 830k dollars in tennis prize money, but 275 million dollars through sponsorship endorsements.
16nLW TIL wooden norias of the Orontes river in Hama, Syria were driven by water flowing underneath them pushing the wheel's paddles. Maintained by skilled carpenters till recently due to lack of money and skilled craftsmen, norias delivered up to 200,000 litres of water per hour to timeshared channels
oBgKW TIL about Ol' Rip the Horned Toad. In 1897, a horned lizard was placed in a time capsule located in the Courthouse of Eastland, Texas along with other memorabilia. When the Courthouse was torn down 31 years later, the capsule was opened and Ol' Rip supposedly came back alive. He became a celebrity.