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TIL in the 1920's newly hired engineers at General Electric would be told, as a joke, to develop a frosted lightbulb. The experienced engineers believed this to be impossible. In 1925, newly hired Marvin Pipkin got the assignment not realizing it was a joke and succeeded.

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grM7 TIL that the U.S. Government killed over 10,000 people with poisoned alcohol during the Prohibition
78eXP TIL That biphasic sleep was a common practice in pre-industrial societies where people would have their first sleep around 9 p.m. or 10 p.m., wake up around midnight then wake up for one or two hours to engage in activities such as reading, praying, or working
neKpr TIL The Puritans Didn't Come to the New World for 'Religious Freedom' The Protestant "Separatists" left Holland because of too much religious freedom, since the country allowed Judaism and Catholicism and even atheism.
OoGk7 TIL the term "genuine leather" isn't reassuring you that the item is made of real leather, it as an actual distinct grade of leather and is the second worst type of leather there is.
b6Eg0 TIL that although forbidden by the rules, Ralph Steinman was awarded a Nobel Prize for "his discovery of the dendritic cell and its role in adaptive immunity" after his death which occurred three days earlier on September 30, 2011, the jury being unaware of his death at the time of its decision.