› added 5 years ago

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TIL that if it weren't for the Haber-Bosch process, that which draws nitrogen from the air into plant fertilizer, "almost half the world's population would not be alive today."

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via reddit.com

W6xN TIL that when the human body is deprived of adequate nutrition, testosterone levels drop, but estrogen levels remain constant, causing a hormonal imbalance, creating what we call “man boobs”.
5YpZQ TIL The Spanish name Esteban and the French name Étienne are equivalent to the English name Stephen. They all derive from the Greek name Stephanos.
graO8 TIL that in 1929, American Paul Galvin did not invent the car radio, but instead realized and eventually capitalized on the viability of the emerging trend. Along with his brother Joseph and William Lear, he made the car radio as important to driving as the steering wheel.
N7XQE TIL Johnny Carson once joked on The Tonight Show about a nonexistent toilet paper shortage which led to eventual panic buying leaving store shelves empty causing a real shortage that lasted weeks
j6MRX TIL in the Ottoman tradition, the throne did not automatically pass to the eldest son. Rather, potential heirs were expected to fight it out. As soon as the sultan died, the princes were plunged into a race for the throne. Whichever brother won the throne would have the other brothers executed.