› added 12 years ago

188

TIL only once has a submarine sunk another sub while both were underwater

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xV0P1 TIL that despite describing objects with completely opposing purposes, the words "dike" and "ditch" both come from the same root word.
grXV8 TIL about Mounts of Piety, a non-profit precursor to pawn shops that offered reasonably priced loans to the poor as an alternative to usurious loans. Mexico's Nacional Monte de Piedad still operates to this day.
b9P0a TIL Fans of Michael Jackson's Thriller album believed that the UPC barcode on the album was Jackson's phone number. Because of this, a woman named Barbara Brown in Youngstown, Ohio, received upwards of 12 calls a day after Jackson won eight Grammy awards. Many believe the rumor was spread by MTV.
yGde TIL in the Middle Ages, chess pawns had individual names that represented the occupations of citizens.
GY7Q5 TIL soil is not a renewable resource. Soil is 1 of 2 main components of Earth — the other being oceans — where life is active. Human life depends on healthy soil, just like it depends on clean air and clean water, but losses of soil cannot be regained within a lifetime.