› added 11 years ago

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TIL William Wrigley originally started a ‘home essentials’ business, selling baking powder and soap. With these, he gave a free pack of his gum. He later abandoned the baking powder business when he learned that people were buying it just to get the gum.

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via reddit.com

OAl7 TIL researchers tweaked a computer’s learning system so that it would read the manual for Civilization and adjust its strategy according to the information. The machine won 79% of the games it played, compared to 46% for a machine that didn’t read the manual.
yQrKV TIL United Passions was a 2014 film about FIFA funded 90% by FIFA. Its release coincided with the 2015 FIFA corruption scandal where it grossed $918 in its opening weekend (worst ever), a 0% RT rating and star Tim Roth asked the people behind the film "Where is all the corruption in the script?"
O1V1 TIL: 93% of the Great Barrier Reef is now damaged by coral bleaching
4XwJJ TIL biblically accurate angels are very different from well-known description of the an angel - Old Testament depict one of them (Seraphim) as six-winged, flaming creature continuesly chanting "Holy, holy, holy" and the other (Ophanim) as pair of wheels with multiple eyes
x46w TIL FEDEX was charged with distribution of controlled substances and conspiracy to distribute misbranded drugs when the DEA told it to stop a list of drug dealers, but refused to give the list when FEDEX tried to comply. FEDEX pleaded not guilty, since they had no way to tell who was on the list.