› added 4 years ago

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TIL that not only can eyeballs be rugby-ball shaped (astigmatism) instead of basket-ball shaped, but one in 2000 people have a cornea shaped like the top of The Gherkin, rather than the O2 Arena. This is called Keratoconus and causes blurred vision, but not blindness.

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M7eG7 TIL it took an Iowa man named Otto Frederick Rohwedder some 16 years to perfect and sell the first bread-slicing machine. A prototype made in 1912 was destroyed in a fire, and he didn't sell his first slicing machine until 1928. Within 5 years, 80% of bread sold in the U.S. was pre-sliced.
vPaKr TIL - There is a phenomenon in Norway called “The Hessdalen Lights” which refers to a valley where on a regular basis large orbs of light fly through the sky. Universities and Governments have studied it for decades and have also documented it heavily.
B77y TIL The hit song “Blinded by the Light” was written by and originally recorded by Bruce Springsteen, who made it by going through a rhyming dictionary and looking for rhymes and ended up being unsuccessful, but was covered by Manfred Man and became a #1 hit.
woLZW TIL Doctors will imitate lifesaving procedures on a destined-for-death patient in the scenario the patient's family does not want to accept death. It's referred to as "Slow-code" and is typically a decision made under the table.
EE1X TIL that HBO passed up “The Walking Dead” because it was “too violent.” They also passed up “Breaking Bad” and “Mad Men.”