› added 6 years ago

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TIL originally, porcelain shipped from China to Europe was packed in tea to prevent breakages. By the late 18th century the demand for tea had grown so dramatically that instead, porcelain was shipped with tea to act as ballast

DQPpe TIL Ethan Zuckerman, the man who created pop-up ads, has said sorry to the world for inventing one of the most detested forms of online advertising.
gM50b TIL that a dog in China refused to leave his dead owner’s grave. He even refused to leave after 7 days without food. When a man took him home and fed him, he quickly left and ran back to the grave. He had been his owners’ sole companion. The villagers planned to build a kennel for him.
bWoZ TIL writer Stephen King was so absolutely wasted on Cocaine, Alcohol and other drugs during the 1980’s he does not actually remember writing “Cujo.” He sobered up by the late 80’s after his wife staged an intervention
nWr9G TIL In 1987, weatherman Michael Fish assured viewers that a hurricane wasn't going to hit England. What followed became known as the Great Storm, the worst in England since 1703. 18 people died as winds reached 120mph, leaving thousands without power.
x68Q7 TIL: Fairyflies are very tiny insects, like most chalcidoid wasps, mostly ranging from 0.5 to 1.0 mm (0.020 to 0.039 in) long. They include the world's smallest known insect, with a body length of only 0.139 mm (0.0055 in), and the smallest known flying insect, only 0.15 mm (0.0059 in) long.