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TIL that in 1983, Hasbro executives travelled to to the Tokyo Toy Show to look for new toys they could release in the United States. After finding a series of transforming robot toys, they teamed with Marvel Comics to create a comic book and animated series--"Transformers"--to sell the toys.

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9J0m TIL In 1848, the British East India Company sent Botanist Robert Fortune on a trip to China’s interior, an area forbidden to foreigners to steal tea seeds from China to India.He succeeded and within his lifetime, India surpassed China as the world’s largest tea grower.
Mm4a TIL ~70% of Cocaine in the U.S. is cut with Levamisole, a toxic Chemo drug used to treat certain invasive cancers, because it looks like cocaine, maintains its consistency, acts as a stimulant, and even passes street purity tests. It lowers the body’s WBCs & Immune System, even in occasional users
YpLax TIL the secular holiday Festivus was not invented for Seinfeld. It was created in the mid sixties by author Daniel O'Keefe as a way of rejecting the commercialism of Christmas with his family. His son later was a writer for Seinfeld and introduced his family's tradition.
wAA6 TIL a second is so called because it is the second divison by sixty of the hour (after the minute). Thirds (1/60 s) and Fourths (1/3600 s) were also previously used.
9aM6 TIL that Lord of the Rings actor Ian McKellen turned down an offer of 1.5 million dollar to officiate a wedding dressed as Gandalf, saying “I am sorry, Gandalf doesn’t do weddings.”