› added 10 years ago

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TIL: When asked about atheists Pope Francis replied “They are our valued allies in the commitment to defending human dignity, in building a peaceful coexistence between peoples and in safeguarding and caring for creation.”

yQG8w TIL that the original Volkswagon Beetle would temporarily float on water because of a sealed steel bottom with nothing exposed beneath it. Volkswagen even created a 1972 television commercial which demonstrated its ability to float. It sold for $1999 US dollars (roughly equivalent to 12k today).
e0wpL TIL Dave's Killer Bread was co-founded by Dave Dahl, who spent 15 years in prison before launching the business with his brother. The company now employs over 100 ex-convicts (about 33% of staff) and sold in 2015 for $275M.
7r1m7 TIL severe heartbreak can cause emotional trauma which imprints on individuals' psychobiological wellbeing, affecting future responses to rejection or loss. A key factor to the trauma is 'being left' triggers primal separation fear – the fear of being left with no one to care for one's vital needs.
vnEr TIL that the Shell Corporation started out in 1833 as an import-export business specialising in oriental seashells. They started shipping oil over 50 years later but the name stuck.
QNRoM TIL that in 1967 during the Vietnam War, US Gunnery Sergeant Carlos Hathcock strapped a scope to a 50-caliber machine gun, using it like a rifle. He made a number of kills with this weapon in excess of 1,000 yards, including his record for the longest confirmed kill at 2,500 yards.