› added 6 years ago

107

TIL that the official bird of Madison, Wisconsin is the plastic flamingo.

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

R5ol4 Today i learned this can happen!!
LQrgZ TIL margarine was once marketed as a cheaper and healthier butter alternative, with US manufacturers even pushing to add yellow color to make it look more appetizing. Studies later showed margarine’s hydrogenated oils (trans fats) were worse for heart health than butter’s natural fats.
7xVL TIL that it costs NASA more than $40,000 to ship the equivalent of a 2-liter bottle of water to the International Space Station which is why the systems onboard the ISS recycle 75% of water needed from the astronauts urine and sweat etc.
QR06 TIL George Ferris died from tuberculosis at age 37, just three years after he invented the Ferris Wheel. Since the Chicago World’s Fair staked a claim to most of the proceeds and economic recession crippled his business, the funeral home held onto his ashes because no one paid the balance due.
PYb1Z TIL that the first eBook was created by Michael S. Hart in 1971, while he was a student at the University of Illinois. He typed the entire text of the Declaration of Independence onto a computer and made it available for others to download.