› added 6 years ago

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TIL that Cement is the most widely used material in existence and is the second most consumed resource on earth, behind water.

Read more bbc.com

via reddit.com

9lbD TIL Reed Hastings was inspired to start Netflix after racking up a $40 late fee on a VHS copy of Apollo 13.
rN4L1 TIL of George Remus, rumored to be the inspiration for The Great Gatsby - He was a pharmacist, prohibition bootlegger, lawyer, and is known for pioneering the temporary insanity defense, which later helped his acquittal following the shooting of his wife, Imogene
8e0wL TIL that Detroit has a small canal system
6w6Z TIL a ‘Glove Compartment’ or 'Glove Box’ originally was created to hold driving gloves which were considered necessary equipment in early cars, many without a hard top, to prevent the cooling effect of fast-moving air from numbing drivers’ hands.
x6685 TIL that the green revolution of the 1950s and 60s led to the widespread reduction--and in some places elimination--of famine and food insecurity. One leading figure in the revolution, Norman Borlaug, is credited with saving at least 1 billion people from starvation.