› added 7 years ago

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TIL that James Doohan (Scotty on ‘Star Trek’) received an honorary doctorate from the Milwaukee School of Engineering. The university gave him the degree after half of its students said in a survey that his character had inspired them to choose engineering as a career.

Read more news.bbc.co.uk

via ift.tt

5VKPp TIL that Washington Irving the American creator of Sleepy Hollow was integral to popularizing our current understanding of not only Halloween, but also Christmas. His stories of a British manor at Christmas time would go on to inspire Charles Dickens.
KOLya TIL A full-sized tree has been growing out of the 110 ft steeple of a courthouse in Indiana since the 1870s
Yp8EZ TIL to increase circulation of dollar coins, in 2008 the US Mint allowed individuals to purchase in bulk with free shipping. It was quickly exploited as a way to gain frequent flyer miles. People purchased coins with a credit card, then deposited them at their bank to pay the bill, cost free.
pYaZZ TIL The name Chicago comes from the Algonquin language: “shikaakwa,” meaning “striped skunk” or “onion.”
vP8VK TIL, On July 26, 1978, the first test-tube baby, Louise Brown, was born in Oldham, England