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TIL a United States government contract to create synthetic rubber gave birth to Silly Putty.

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BrQrk TIL 89-year-old woman catalogued all the mail she gets from nonprofit fund-raisers. One year, she got 868 solicitations. Charities scrounging for donations send promotional notepads, calculators, magnifying glasses and other stuff. She collects it and gives it away -- to charity, of course.
m5dR TIL - Napoleon’s last direct descendant died in 1945 after he tripped over the leash of the dog he was walking and broke his neck - Jerome-Napoleon Charles Bonaparte
7vjr TIL that ‘Star Trek’ TV episodes are unusual in that syndication prices rose over time, instead of declining like most reruns, because fans watched each episode dozens of times. Their enormous popularity led to the revival of the franchise after the series’ cancellation after three seasons.
R5rN8 TIL the original Leopard 1 main battle tank was designed by luxury car maker Porsche. Porsche also submitted a design for the WW2 era tiger tank but lost out to a competitor.
g9Db TIL although acne affects 79-95% of western adolescents, a study of non-westernized tribes in Papua New Guinea and Paraguay found no cases of acne.