› added 4 years ago

54

TIL of the Bone Wars. In the late 1800s, two rival paleontologists sought to disgrace each other, resorting to bribery, theft, attempts to cut off funding, and destruction of bones. Both paleontologists were ruined financially, but their efforts led to the discovery of 136 new species of dinosaurs.

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

d4Er TIL that pirates wore gold and silver earrings for superstitious reasons like not drowning or getting seasick, and curing bad eyesight. Also, the earrings’ worth covered the cost of a proper burial. They were also helpful to dangle pieces of wax from to use as ear plugs near cannons.
dKMB TIL that in Korea and some other Asian countries, when you are born, you are considered one year old and everyone’s age increases one year on New Years. So if you were born on December 29th, on New years day, you will be considered 2 years old.
Mmv8 TIL that six years after Martin Luther King was shot and killed, his mother was also shot and killed, in the Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church, Auburn, Alabama.
pOa8 TIL Jerry Seinfeld performed the exact same standup material the first (in 1982) and last (2015) times he appeared on Late Night with David Letterman.
nY6B TIL - In 2001, workers took over a struggling factory after their employer refused to provide them with a travel allowance and left the business for dead. Soon, they had made new clients, paid off the factory debts, and raised their salaries. The factory continues to run as a co-operative.