› added 8 years ago

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TIL that in ‘53, Coca Cola attempted to boost vending machine profits by asking the US Treasury to mint a 7.5 cent coin; that failing, they then briefly implemented “official blanks” where 1 in every 9 vended bottles would be empty

A6Kg TIL in a test of cognitive dissonance, researchers paid participants either $1 or $20 before completing a boring 1-hour task. Afterwards, those who were paid $1 said the study was stimulating while those paid $20 said they hated it; the low-paid people had to rationalize doing the task for only $1.
0dOZL TIL the US Air Force had delays awarding John Chapman a Medal of Honor in part due to US Navy SEALs blocking it. They would have to admit they left a soldier behind. When the award became inevitable, the SEALs nominated the soldier who left Chapman for the same award for the same battle.
WkMO8 TIL that if you hold in too many farts, the gas can be reabsorbed and then exhaled in your breath.
oR4OK TIL When hyperinflation drove Germans to use money as kindling . After World War I, money became very cheap in Germany. And to the point that the inhabitants pasted them on the walls instead of wallpaper - it was cheaper.
v1Lp4 TIL Final Solution, a 2003 Indian film allowed a Pirate-and-Circulate campaign in protest against its ban by censor board (Get-a-free-copy-only-if-you-promise-to-pirate-and-make-5-copies). Over 10,000 CDs of the film were distributed and the director uploaded the movie to Vimeo during the campaign.