› added 1 year ago

128

TIL that George Orwell, the author of 1984, was the first person to describe the post-WWII settlement as a cold war.

Read more blog.oup.com

via reddit.com

XEeG6 TIL in 2005, Facebook hired graffiti artist David Choe to paint murals in their new office space. Choe accepted Facebook shares instead of a cash payment, and when Facebook went public in 2012, his shares were valued at $200 million.
OoNbL TIL That the phrase 'flying saucer' used as a substitute for an UFO is the result of a mistaken newspaper report in 1947 of the first well-known UFO sighting by the business mogul Kenneth Arnold who said the speeding aerial was crescent-shaped but moved "like saucers skipping on water".
ZdgQ TIL Google has been providing free WiFi to its home city of Mountain View, CA since 2006. The entire city of 75,000!
9wxjm TIL: Prior to 2005, Catholic cardinals participating in papal conclaves were housed in the Apostolic Palace, sleeping on cots in makeshift bedrooms in hallways or offices. Pope John II changed the rules for future conclaves, allowing participants to room in a nearby guest house.
LkpaQ TIL that cashew trees are in the same family as poison ivy and poison sumac. They are usually sold shelled and roasted because if not, the shell oil may cause a skin reaction similar to poison ivy.