› added 2 years ago

61

TIL that arabs had banned the export of unroasted coffee beans so that everyone would have to continue buying it from them but an Indian saint Budan smuggled 7 seeds in his beard risking capital punishment thereby starting the coffee production in India and ending arabian monopoly on it.

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

e7kL TIL The Dutch East India Company was the first corporation in existence, created in 1602. They were the first company to issue stocks and is the granddaddy of all corporations today.
j6KJE TIL Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker survived a plane crash in which 4 of the 6 occupants were killed. The other survivor was DJ AM.
x6E8D TIL that USAF pilot Thomas Mantell was the first person killed in a UFO pursuit.
jNZOj TIL that artist Yayoi Kusama (currently exhibiting her "Infinity Mirrors") has been been voluntarily committed to a sanitorium since the late 70s, only leaving to paint in the building across the street
jpaR TIL the Milky Way has several “satellite galaxies”, smaller galaxies that orbit our galaxy like moons to a planet.