› added 11 years ago

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TIL Russian cosmonauts urinate on the right rear wheel of the transfer bus before liftoff. Female cosmonauts are excused, but some dash a cup of their own urine in solidarity.

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0L6p TIL that AT&T held an absolute monopoly on all telephone service in the United States for 100 years until it was broken up in 1984 due to anti-trust regulations. Most cell phone companies today are descendants of AT&T including Verizon and AT&T (formerly Southwestern Bell).
YDgr TIL a high school teacher made a tumblr about stupid things high schoolers write in essays
gM9ey TIL 7/11 is named after their 'new' hours of 7am-11pm which were unprecedented in 1946, and they didn't experiment with 24-hour stores until 1963.
xVjYo TIL that someone stole Jim Thorpe's shoes just before he competed in the Olympic decathlon. Wearing mismatched shoes (one from the garbage), he went on to win the gold medal, setting a record that stood for almost 20 years.
b67Xa TIL brussels sprouts used to have a bitter taste until breeders in the 90s started to cross-pollinate different varieties in order to remove the chemicals that caused the bitterness. The result of their work has lead to brussels sprouts's recent culinary popularity.