› added 4 years ago

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TIL that the first ever east-west transatlantic flight (1919) included two stowaways, a rejected crew member named Will Ballantyne and a tabby kitten named "Whoopsie"

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nW4LP TIL about Frieda Caplan, a pioneer in the world of produce who built a successful business in the 1960s by promoting items that, at the time, were relatively unheard of in the U.S. such as mangoes, shallots, and a New Zealand fruit originally called "Chinese gooseberry," which she dubbed the kiwi.
gMNnD TIL That before modern refrigerators, Russian and Finnish people would keep live brown frogs in their milk to keep it fresh. It was found that the secretions made by the frogs basically act as antibiotics, killing bacteria, and keeping the milk fresh and safe to drink.
aw5m9 TIL when he was 13, Davy Crockett attacked a school bully. Fearful of his father’s punishment, he ran away from home. Over the next two and a half years, he did odd jobs, learned several woodsman skills and traveled around in 3 states. When he finally returned home, his family couldn't recognize him
9Ar TIL the record holder for most survived lightning strikes, at 7, was struck while operating a truck, inside a ranger station, on two separate occasions after running/driving away from the storm, and immediately after the seventh strike he had to fight off a trout-stealing bear with a tree branch.
EZ9V TIL Student tuition at Ivy League schools is essentially “Pay what you can,” and free for students whose families make less than $60K/year; the difference is funded by an endowment of donations.