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TIL of a machine lubricant called Thames Mud Butter, made from fats that were skimmed from the sewage effluent of late 19th century London.

Read more thamesfestivaltrust.org

via reddit.com

BrZLy TIL Color Blind people can see the differences in texture and brightness more intensely than normal people and were even used in WWII to spot camouflage.
Y79rA TIL about Richard Sakakida, an American spy operating in the Philippines before the attack on Pearl Harbor, who spied on the Japanese community in Manila before he was captured after the fall of Corregidor. During his capture, he was tortured and eventually led a jailbreak of about 500 prisoners.
1LDP TIL in 1915 Ford had a “Sociological Department” tasked with ensuring workers lived/consumed in healthy and rational ways, “to better the financial and moral standing of each employee…to instill courage and a desire for health, happiness and prosperity…to take away fear and worry”
o5Vr TIL the Mobile Phone Throwing World Championships have been held annually in Finland since 2000. The event was created by a Nokia employee to create awareness of the rise in toxicity levels in landfills and lakes caused by discarded phones. The farthest throw was in 2014 at 362.3ft (110.42m).
Z87Pp TIL during a coup attempt in 1972, four Moroccan pilots intercepted a Boeing 727 carrying the Moroccan King and fired on it. The King (himself a pilot), grabbed the radio and told the rebel pilots, “Stop firing! The tyrant is dead!” Fooled, the rebels broke off their attack and the coup failed.