› added 5 years ago

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TIL: Henry Dreyfuss designed some of the most iconic devices found in American homes and offices throughout the twentieth century, including the Western Electric Model 500 telephone, the Westclox Big Ben alarm clock, and the Honeywell round thermostat. Plus, the streamlined locomotive.

kJ1Wm TIL about Johnny Clem, who joined the Union Army as a drummer boy at age 10. Clem became a legend when he shot and killed a Confederate Colonel at the Battle of Chickamauga in 1863.
JY45l TIL There are 11 musicians who have been inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Country Music Hall of Fame. They are Jimmie Rodgers, Hank Williams, Chet Atkins, Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, The Everly Brothers, Bill Monroe, Bob Wills, Brenda Lee, Floyd Cramer, and Sam Phillips.
MeDQW TIL Pistachios crack themselves. I always assumed they were run through some sort of industrial nutcracker prior to packaging. But apparently when they ripen, the shells suddenly pop open and even make an audible crack. Chinese legend says witnessing this will bring the hearer good luck.
wLKbP TIL that after surviving the explosion of a rocket launch failure, the first thing the Soviet cosmonauts asked their rescue crews was cigarettes, but they were given shots of vodka instead
XEKaE TIL women's suffrage activists burned down the Orchid Houses at London's world famous Kew Gardens in the early 1900s, leaving behind a note that said "votes for women." They were never caught.