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TIL Turkish counterfeiters were once busted for faking popsicle sticks. They allegedly exchanged the sticks for free ice cream, then sold the ice cream at half-price. They were active for 3 years, but were caught when a local ice cream firm noticed they were receiving more sticks than they produced.

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wLyb1 TIL in 1992 when a container of yellow rubber ducks, fell into the Pacific Ocean, it allowed scientists to gain insight into a hidden world of ocean currents. Over the years, the ducks washed up on several different continents, revealing a worldwide network of currents, that had been invisible.
pBYQ TIL that in 1939 US and Canada refused to accept 937 Jews who were the last to escape Nazi Germany and despite desperate attempts of (non Jewish) german captain to secure safety for his passengers they were forced to return to Europe. Many of them later died in concentration camps.
j6doM TIL about XT11, a severely disabled infant chimpanzee that exhibited Down syndrome-like symptoms and other congenital birth defects. Her mother and sister took care of her anyway and her social group did not reject her. She survived in the wild for 23 months.
dA7Z TIL scientists in Korea last year developed a Lithium-Ion battery that charges 120x faster than normal, and may lead to electric car batteries that charge in less than a minute.
vPeNR TIL the Australian Trumpet is the largest living snail. It can weigh up to 40lbs (18kb) and can grow longer than 2 feet (72cm). While popular among shell collectors, little is known about it.