› added 10 months ago

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TIL that the Danish word for "Pimp" is "Alfons," after the protagonist in the play Monsieur Alphonse by Alexandre Dumas, fils. As a result, although "Alfons" is the name of popular children's book character, the name remains very rare. As of 2016, there were only 8 people named "Alfons" in Denmark.

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m1kDE TIL Boeing offered to install solid rockets on their early 727-200 airliners back in the 1960s and 1970s. These were for emergency thrust in the event of an engine failure during takeoff at high altitude airports. Only twelve 727s ever had them, all with Mexicana Airlines for use at Mexico City.
JYLDm TIL Chobani began after Hamdi Ulukaya saw an ad for a Kraft yogurt plant that had closed and bought it through a small business loan. Today they operate the world's largest yogurt plant and workers have 10% ownership stake. For the first few years the 800 number on the label went straight to Hamdi.
ne0RY TIL about SOLO-TREC, a submarine that NASA invented that can basically generate infinite energy.
LkwVZ TIL That the domesticated hamsters we now call pets are all descended from one “Adam and Eve” like pair captured in Aleppo, Syria in 1930.
9YvEQ TIL a polar bear used to live at the Tower of London and go swimming in the Thames. It was a gift from King Haakon of Norway in 1252