› added 9 years ago

1064

TIL exposure to platinum can turn snails into their evolutionary decedents the slug.

Read more wired.com

via reddit.com

D1bpY TIL that in China 209 BC two generals were going to be late which was punishable by death. They realized that the punish for rebellion was the same as the one for being late, so they decided to rebel and created an uprising.
DQmpg TIL that as a child star, Jackie Coogan earned up to $4m (equivalent to around $91m today) but by age 21, he found most of it had been spent by his mother and stepfather. He sued in 1938 and received only $126,000. This case resulted in the 1939 enactment of the California Child Actor's Bill.
kO0Qd TIL that a major breakthrough towards the invention of plastics was achieved due to a surge in the popularity of billiard, prompting producers of billiard balls to offer a reward of 10000$ to anyone who could come up with a viable alternative to ivory (which the balls were hitherto made of...)
9wWE7 TIL that many marine animals have a salt gland that allows them to drink salt water for hydration. It's located in the skull for birds and reptiles, and in the rectum for sharks.
D1mnP TIL world's largest pillow fight involved 7,681 participants in Minnesota.