› added 10 months ago

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TIL that in 1904, George C. Parker "sold" the Brooklyn Bridge multiple times, tricking victims into believing they could charge tolls. Some even tried setting up booths before police stopped them. He also "sold" landmarks like the Statue of Liberty, using the phrase, "I have a bridge to sell you."

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awgJ0 TIL between 1970 and 1973, four Israeli fighter pilots translated The Hobbit from English to Hebrew to pass the time in an Egyptian prison, where they were held as POWs. The pilots' translation was published commercially in 1977, and up until 2012 was considered the best Hebrew version of the book.
jN6Mj TIL monkeys and penguins have prostitutes
OoWd4 TIL whitehead pimples come from a build up of bacteria in the follicles beneath your skin with small openings that dont allow air to come in, while blackheads are exposed to air through larger pores in your follicles causing them to oxidise blackening them.
W75lo TIL there's a Dumb and Dumber spinoff cartoon.
m1JGE TIL that creative loopholes are used to avoid import taxes on goods, a practice called tariff engineering. E.g. Ford imported vans to the US with backseats, windows, and seatbelts, removing them later to sell as cargo vans. However, it can later backfire, resulting in fines.