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TIL Howard Tracy Hall created the first synthetic diamond in the ‘50s. He worked for GE, who made a fortune off his work. They rewarded him with a $10 bond.

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grPl7 TIL meteors burn up when they enter the atmosphere is due to the air in front of it compresses incredibly quickly, causing drastic temperature rise.
ADba4 TIL that when The Who first released the song "My Generation", the BBC initially refused to play it for many months because of Roger Daltrey's vocal style. It reversed its decision after the song became more popular.
d8Pdd TIL that in 1820, an 80-ton sperm whale attacked and sank the Essex (a whaling ship from Nantucket, Massachusetts). The tragedy attracted international attention, and inspired Herman Melville to write his famous 1851 novel Moby-Dick.
KONlR TIL that Naftaly Frenkel was a prisoner in a Soviet Union work camp who proposed that inmates' food rations be linked to their rate of production. He was promoted to guard and eventually commandant. He would later oversee construction of the White Sea–Baltic Canal by forced labor.
oBE5L TIL: Figure Skating got its name from skaters' abilities to trace patterns on the ice to be judged for motor control and accuracy. The rise of broadcasting the sport made the art difficult to follow on TV, so tracing was dropped in 1991, and younger athletes began winning based on difficult leaping.