› added 3 years ago

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TIL that the only factory in the world that produces Coffee Crisp is located in Toronto, Canada, and that the chocolate bar itself is sold almost exclusively in Canada.

xk0B TIL that as far back as 1928, Russia was building analog water computers that were used for highly complex computations, and remained in use up into the 1980’s.
bpDE TIL that there’s a stinging tree called the Gympie Gympie that produces a toxin so painful, it’s driven people and animals to suicide. It’s been described as being sprayed with hot acid and electrocuted at the same time. A man was reported to have shot himself after using the tree as toilet paper.
E1rw0 TIL the rendering of the Death Star plans in the original Star Wars was created by two students using computers at JPL. The writers and staff planned to thank JPL in the credits, until one programmer pointed out that JPL didn't even know their computers had been used.
OR4X TIL that South Africa was one of the few countries that was unable to watch the Moon Landing live in 1969. Television was banned in South Africa at the time because there were fears that it would promote race mixing against nonwhites as the country was under Apartheid
epl1g TIL When Benjamin Franklin returned to America after having spent nine years in Paris as an ambassador, he was short 100,000 pounds in congressional money. When questioned on this by a member of Congress Franklin waved the question away and the matter was never brought up again.