› added 12 years ago

106

TIL It makes people happier to spend money on others as opposed to themselves.

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via reddit.com

wLaJ TIL A 14-year-old, Tony Hansberry came up with a radically new procedure, which involved sewing up the patients with a vertical endo stitch instead of a horizontal one. doctors were so impressed that they tested it out on their patients. The result: It reduced recovery time, complications and pain.
kOpNB TIL that Michael Myers terrifying mask in "Halloween" is based on William Shatner's face and was purchased for $1.98 from a costume shop.
e0YVJ TIL that snow globes were accidentally invented by a medical tool repair man. He was trying to make a brighter light bulb for operating rooms, so he tried using a water filled glass with reflective particles to do this. The effect looked like snow to him which is how he got the idea for snow globes.
oRZjA TIL when Frank Zappa was a kid, he always played with mercury that his father brought home from work, often covering his entire bedroom floor with the element. Childhood exposure to mercury is known to increase the risk of prostate cancer as an adult. Frank Zappa died from prostate cancer at age 52.
R7kj7 TIL that an architect in Colombia started a company to turn waste plastics into Lego style bricks for low cost homes. Using the bricks, it takes 4 people about 5 days to construct a 430 square foot house. The concept is to reduce plastic waste and give homes to those most in need.