› added 10 months ago

267

TIL in 1941 the US produced over 3 million civilian cars. After joining the War, only 139 were made throughout the remainder of the War.

Read more pbs.org

via reddit.com

QbkM TIL that Mark Spitz, nine time olympic champion, jokingly told the Russian swim team coach in 1972 that his moustache increased his speed in the water, deflecting water away from his mouth. The next year, every Russian swimmer was sporting one.
dAkE TIL when cats are stalking their prey, they “chatter” their teeth because they are so intensely fixated on their prey that they are envisioning biting on them already. This is called: the “vacuum reaction”
v1RQD TIL of the Blackbird violin. It's a violin whose body is made entirely out of stone. It was carved from black diabase stone with slight modifications to allow it to be playable.
vnR8 TIL Colgate bought a Chinese toothpaste brand called Darkie in 1985. The name was changed to Darlie but is still sold in China as Black Person Toothpaste
LQra9 TIL Avocados evolved to be eaten whole by megafauna almost the size of elephants