› added 2 weeks ago

6

TIL that before Dieselgate Volkswagon gassed Java Monkeys (and humans) with car exhaust to see if their diesel engines actually ran more cleanly than other cars

Read more theguardian.com

via reddit.com

8eEdZ TIL that the Bronx has 'the' in front of it because it's named for the Bronx river and was originally "the Borough of The Bronx [River]"
e0N8b TIL that in 1917, Germany transported 32 dissidents back to Russia hoping to cause problems for the Russian government. Among them were V. I. Lenin and his wife.
x6eak TIL Public toilet seats are U-shaped because the American Standard National Plumbing Code writes that they must have a gap at the front.
YWax TIL that Nick Frost lost his sister at an early age, his mother died from a stroke, and he lost his home. Years later while he worked as a waiter at a resteraunt, he met Simon Pegg, they became best friends, and then they made Shaun of the Dead, which kickstarted his career
p8BdQ TIL when Rupert Murdoch (then-owner of 20th Century Fox) was shown a rough cut of "Titanic" to appease him over how much money James Cameron was spending on the film, Murdoch said "I can see why you like the movie, but it's no Air Force One."