› added 4 years ago

189

TIL the wealth gap in America is almost unimaginable even when looking at it visually. 1,000 seconds is almost 17 minutes. 1 million seconds is about 12 days. 1 billion seconds is 31.7 years. This is what having $163.3B looks like.

Read more mkorostoff.github.io

via reddit.com

O1Z4 TIL Amsterdam pays alcoholics in beer. 2 cans at the start of the day, 2 at lunch, and 1 or 2 at the end. They also get half a packet of rolling tobacco, lunch, & and €10. There is a long waiting list to work for this program. Canada inspired this program with their Help the Heroin addicts programs.
WkBgB TIL Since the 1978 initiation of China's policy of reform and opening-up, Dongguan is now regarded as: "The World's Computer City", "The World's Toy City", "The World's Shoe City", and "The South China Fashion City"
XGQP TIL in 1962 news channel NBC paid a West Berlin team 50,000DM ($150,000 today) to dig under the Berlin Wall, on the condition that NBC could film the escape. 29 East Germans managed to escape, and the resulting NBC film, The Tunnel, won 3 Emmies.
4krVb TIL that the term and concept of "jay-walking" was introduced in the 1920's by the auto industry as part of a propaganda campaign to claim the roads for cars and shift the blame in accidents from cars to pedestrians. At the time "Jay" was a slur with a similar meaning to "redneck" or "hillbilly."
xgEg TIL that Sandra Bullock was the first person to win a Golden Raspberry Award (given for worst film) and an Oscar in the same weekend. She collected both.