› added 9 years ago

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TIL that during WWII, Ford profited from its factory in Germany. It used ppl from concentration camps to produce military vehicles for the Nazis. In 1945, the US gov paid Ford $1m for damage to the factory caused by Allied bombings. When Holocaust survivors later sued, Ford got the case dismissed.

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WX5o TIL Mattel made and sold Wonder Woman’s “invisible jet” as a collectible. The package was an empty plastic shell with nothing inside, and was originally intended as an April Fool’s joke.
PAJO TIL the reason the Gamecube and Wii cannot play standard DVD discs is because the consoles spin the media at a constant angular velocity (the disc spins at the same speed regardless of the laser’s position) versus a constant linear velocity as with standard drives/players.
ZenQ TIL that sea otters are one of the only natural predators of sea urchins which makes them a keystone species in helping to maintain the balance of kelp ecosystems. Because they help maintain the kelp ecosystem, they are indirectly helping to reduce levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide.
nYmo TIL that it takes approximately 4 litres of water to produce a 1 litre plastic bottle of water
Lk0J0 TIL that the term "riding shotgun" comes from the word "shotgun messenger" referring to the guard sitting next to the Stagecoach driver who used a shotgun to ward off robbers and miscreants. This found its way into popular culture through Hollywood's love of Westerns