› added 8 years ago

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TIL that we can drink alcohol because of a gene which most likely helped human ancestors make the most out of rotting, fermented fruit that fell onto the forest floor.

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1ar4W TIL about the Phoebus cartel, which in 1925 met in Geneva to curb the longevity of incandescent light bulbs. This is a strategy called "planned obsolescence" to generate repeated sales and maximize profit.
gM7B4 TIL if you eat something and die, it is poisonous. If something bites you and you die, it is venomous.
VBYoZ TIL Unilever and Procter & Gamble have been fined $456M for fixing washing powder prices in 8 European countries in 2011. The fines were discounted by 10% after the 2 industry giants admitted running a cartel. Their rival Henkel, who provided the tip-off, was not fined in return.
8aYJK TIL multiple states on the East Coast of the U.S. had official programs to pressure freed African Americans to move back to Africa.
v1WXK Flying a helicopter on Mars is so damn hard but NASA made it possible. For the first flight, the helicopter took off, climbed to about 10 feet (3 meters) above the ground, hovered in the air briefly, completed a turn, and then landed. It was a major milestone: the very first powered flight in the extremely thin atmosphere of Mars, and, in fact, the first such flight in any world beyond Earth. Being able to fly a helicopter or drone on Mars is very important as they can cover 24 kilometers in an hour. By the way, Curiosity took nine years to travel less than 25 kilometers.