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TIL that in 1980, nuclear physicist Glenn Seaborg transmuted several thousand atoms of bismuth into gold at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory. Seaborg's technique would have been far too expensive to enable routine manufacturing of gold, but his work was close to the mythical Philosopher's Stone.

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YokA TIL in India, where most marriages are arranged by parents with the couples vetted on the basis of caste, complexion, horoscope, there is a Guardian Angels-style vigilante group that protects young couples who fall in love across different castes. They are called the Love Commandos.
wLPJY TIL that Ford used an astrologer from California to determine which date they would launch the new Ford Taurus. They paid the astrologer $500.
x6y80 TIL that Mount Everest was named after Sir George Everest, even though he had no connection to the mountain. He objected to the naming because the word 'Everest' could not be easily written in Hindi or pronounced by the local people.
78lPO Today I learned that the Cool S symbol is trademarked in the United States, but owner trademarked it to preserve it.
Zjxp TIL that J.J. Abrams, Joss Whedon, Harold Ramis, Jon Favreau, Bryan Cranston, and Jason Reitman all directed at least one episode of The Offce