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TIL An Italian NGO decided to teach Zambians how to grow food and paid locals to grow tomatoes in a fertile valley that lacked agriculture.When the tomatoes grew large and ripe, 200 hippos came out from the river and ate everything. “That’s why we have no agriculture here”, Zambians explained

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gMwO7 TIL that legendary saxophone player Lester Young not only revolutionized jazz through his unique laid-back approach, but also had a huge influence on our language today. He is said to have coined, among other expressions, "cool" to signify approval, "bread" as another word for money and "you dig?"
6EX1Y TIL Congress passed a law in 1973 that mandated safety features to prevent a car from starting unless the driver buckled their seatbelt; the technology was mostly effective, but was so unpopular with voters that Congress was pressured to repeal the law just one year later in 1974
l8Z5 TIL that Paul Newman’s food product line, “Newman’s Own” donate all proceeds after taxes to charity. They have raised over $330 million so far.
OGjA6 TIL about Irdabama, a powerful Ancient Persian (Iranian) businesswoman who, ~2500 years ago, controlled vast estates, traded across the Achaemenid Empire, managing hundreds of workers whilst travelling around Iran and Mesopotamia with her own entourage.
OwDL TIL that old-fashioned (1930s) bar tenders wore arm-bands to adjust the lengths of their sleeves. In those days, most men’s shirts came ready made with a single length extra long sleeve.