› added 4 years ago

218

TIL that according to DuPont, the name "Nylon" was originally called "No-Run," but was modified to "Nuron" to avoid making an unjustified claim. Later it was changed to "Nilon" to make it sound less like medicine, and then eventually "Nylon" so that people would pronounce it properly.

Read more glossophilia.org

via reddit.com

JmbQ TIL The Popeyes fast food chain got it’s name from the main character in a crime thriller played by Gene Hackman not from the cartoon character
8aGpP TIL 'that when a male anglerfish finds a female, he will bite down and latch onto her body, where his tissues and circulatory systems will fuse with hers. In exchange for nutrients from the female, the male loses his eyes, fins, teeth, and most internal organs, only serving as a sperm bank for her.'
ne1Lb TIL Good King Wenceslas is technically a Boxing Day (26 Dec) carol, not a Christmas carol.
9Y9pr TIL the black soldier fly larva turns most organic substances into nutrient-rich protein and frass, a valuable organic fertilizer. Significant reductions in E. coli and Salmonella were measured in manure after larvae were introduced in it. They can also purify biomass contaminated with heavy metals.
oBpGK TIL Despite what TV would have us believe, defibrillators cannot start a heart that is in asystole (extended flatline).