› added 8 years ago

159

TIL there is a charity that pays $300 to drug addicts if they get sterilized

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via reddit.com

RBw8 TIL that when the Confederate Army was low on gunpowder, bat caves were raided for poop. Bat guano’s high nitrate content provided a key ingredient for the production of gunpowder.
7rZJZ TIL Ian Fleming was a keen bird watcher. When choosing a name for the hero of Casino Royal he used the name of the author of one of his bird books - James Bond. In 1964, Fleming gave Bond a first edition copy of You Only Live Twice signed, "To the real James Bond, from the thief of his identity".
rRn81 TIL that early refrigerating systems would use toxic substances like sulphur dioxide, ammonia and methyl chloride as coolants. Methyl chloride was also a gas used during WW1
NX5NM TIL that it's actually possible to communicate with plants
XEWpD TIL in 2013, Neil Gaiman performed a reading of “A Christmas Carol” using Charles Dickinson’s personal copy that he used specifically for live readings, complete with notes and directions, in full victorian costume. The performance was recorded (audio only) and subsequently released online. Enjoy!