› added 2 years ago

78

TIL that only 144 people live in Ellesmere, the 10th largest island in the world

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M4bK TIL Ren Xiaofeng, a manager of The Agricultural Bank of China, stole $26,000 from the bank with the intention of buying lottery tickets, winning, and repaying the initial theft. Against the odds, it worked so he tried again with $6.7 million. He lost all but $95,000 and was sentenced to death.
bRV7 TIL Viagra was developed with the intention of relieving chest pain and its side effect was accidental.
E1jNV TIL that, before becoming a reknowned chef, Julia Child was a member of the OSS, which was the precursor to today's CIA. She had top secret clearance and led the development of a shark repellent. She wanted to be a field agent, but was precluded from doing so because she was 6' 2" tall.
e0xjg TIL that the founder of the modern frozen food industry, Clarence Birdseye, was inspired after he was taught by the Inuit, indigenous people of Canada, how to ice fish under very thick ice. In -40 °C weather, he discovered that the fish he caught froze almost instantly, and when thawed, tasted fresh
9Ye86 TIL the moment Gerald Ford was sworn in, Nixon was on Air Force One flying home. Because he was no longer President, the airplane's call sign was changed mid-flight from Air Force One to SAM 27000.