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TIL In 1903, a large pocket of underground gas was found in Dexter, KS. In the hopes of economic prosperity, a celebration was planned. The burning of the gas was to “light the entire countryside for a day and a night,” but it just wouldn’t ignite… and Helium was discovered.

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xVxMk TIL the late king of Jordan was an avid Amateur Radio operator who regularly interacted with people around the world. Taking conversations from anyone who had the privilege of having his JY1 call sign respond he never allowed anyone to call him King on the net, and helped the hobby gain members.
9Y9m7 TIL that "aloneliness" is the opposite of loneliness, and it's the distress we feel when we don't get enough time alone.
7rjDP TIL In the 1940s, cars were painted with a hand-spraying technique that would accumulate overspray, which would build up and be baked repeatedly in the ovens used to cure the paint on the vehicles. These paint clumps (known as Fordite) were salvaged, cut, and polished for jewelry.
VMJg0 TIL The tendency to see Van Gogh's mental illness in his work began as a rebuke by critics who hated it, at a time when mental illness was highly stigmatized. He was actually only seriously ill in the final 2 years of his life.
gMxxb TIL that when quirky theatrical producer David Merrick got bad reviews for his 1961 musical, he found 7 random denizens of New York with names identical to those of 7 top theatre critics. He asked the civilians to talk ecstatically of the musical, then published an ad with their praises and names.