› added 12 years ago

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TIL that companies would have factories in the North Mariana Islands so they could pay Chinese workers $3 an hour to make clothing labeled “Made in the USA” without having to comply with US labor laws. This resulted in hazardous work conditions, forced prostitution & forced abortions on the workers.

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via reddit.com

QJOvX TIL of "scent branding" and how businesses pump custom scents into their buildings. Nike's signature scent was reportedly inspired by the smell of a rubber basketball sneaker as it scrapes across the court and a soccer cleat in grass and dirt.
K0pa TIL that John Candy turned down Wayne Szlaniski in “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” and Louis Tully in “Ghostbusters” because he felt his good friend Rick Moranis was better suited for the parts.
16WbX TIL Little Debbie is an actual, real-life human person who is currently the company's Executive Vice President and serves on the board of directors.
BrEjD TIL that the highest absolute altitude ever achieved by a helicopter (12,440 m) resulted in the engines experiencing a flameout at peak altitude. The pilot then set the record for the longest autorotation used for the unpowered landing of a helicopter.
OGedg TIL in 1967, a documentary filmmaker was shot and killed while filming a miner in Kentucky by the owner of the rented house where the miner lived. The killing was motivated by the growing resentment of journalists who descended upon Appalachia to document living conditions during the War on Poverty.