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TIL that Chevron and General Motors bought the patents for NiMH car batteries and used them to block electric vehicle development in the 90s and 00s

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LkMpm TIL that Jurassic Park's visual effects were so groundbreaking to filmmakers that it inspired Peter Jackson to begin work on Lord of the Rings, George Lucas to start on the Star Wars prequels, and Stanley Kubrick to invest in his pet project, A.I (Artificial Intelligence).
a8o1o TIL wireless operator jack Phillips of the rms Titanic did the best he could As the ship sank to contact other ships for assistance. He would not survive the sinking and his body, if recovered, was not identified. His actions saved many lives that night. He was only 25 years old.
gMPb9 TIL that pet rabbits are highly illegal in Queensland Australia. Owners can be fined $44,000, although magicians can apply for a special exemption.
4X9w5 People like to imagine that they’re the pinnacle of evolution, but the animal kingdom suggests otherwise. The discovery that bumblebees use hair on their legs to detect a flower’s electromagnetic field offers another reminder that human senses don’t always measure up. You share the planet with creatures that can smell veins, see colors you can’t imagine, and communicate through their feet. Here are just a few animals with senses sharper than yours.
1aoL7 TIL that people often ignore public fire alarms or fires that break out in front of them, hesitating to escape and denying any danger, because they are committed to finishing what they came to do, or they believe they have a role to be passive