› added 10 years ago

167

TIL In 1851 when the refrigerated ice machine was patented, the large ice-importing industry ran a smear campaign against the technology, calling it immoral.

Read more smithsonianmag.com

via reddit.com

4X18a TIL that in 1860, Mississippi was by far the richest state in the union. So much wealth was being produced in the state from cotton that there were more millionaires per capita in Mississippi than in any other state in the US.
8e0EP TIL that in Japan on December 16, 1997, a particular episode of the Pokémon anime's first season induced photosensitive epileptic seizures in children across the country. Over 600 children were taken to hospitals. The incident is referred to in Japan as the "Pokémon Shock".
v1rEL TIL of Curt Degerman – a Swedish man who died a millionaire (1.2 million USD) at the age of 60 after collecting and recycling cans and bottles for 40 years.
9Glp TIL of an Australian prime minister named Harold Holt who served from 1966 to 1967. One day, while in office, he went for a swim and just disappeared without a trace.
7OQr TIL that Shell oil initially sold antiques and later imported sea shells from the Far East.