› added 5 years ago

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TIL The oldest continuously occupied residence in California is the Rios Adobe in San Juan Capistrano, built in 1794 for Feliciano Rios, a soldier at Mission San Juan Capistrano. The current owner 225 years later is Stephen Rios, an ex-Marine raising the 10th generation in the adobe.

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aw179 TIL that one of the pioneers of the pneumatic tyre,John Dunlop,came across his idea when his son kept having headaches when cycling. He inflated some tubes of rubber and attached them to his son's tricycle - it was a hit and he went on to found one of the largest companies in the early 20th century.
VBdm0 TIL: That Snoopy became NASA's safety mascot in 1968, leading to the creation of the Silver Snoopy Award, a highly coveted honor that has recognized NASA employees and contractors for over 50 years.
xVyl0 TIL In the wild, giraffes almost never lie down because of vulnerability to predators. They usually sleep standing, sometimes sitting, and they give birth standing up. When giraffes sleep, they curl their necks and sleep for about five minutes at a time, sleeping no more than 30 minutes a day.
690eJ TIL The British government safeguarded the supply of fish and chips during the first and second world wars. It was one of the few foods in the UK not subject to rationing during the wars.
aGN TIL Howard Tracy Hall created the first synthetic diamond in the ‘50s. He worked for GE, who made a fortune off his work. They rewarded him with a $10 bond.