› added 11 years ago

128

TIL ‘Root beer’ was the name chosen over 'Root Tea’ because root beer’s first promoter felt miners were “more likely to drink a manly beer than a wimpy tea”

Read more books.google.com

via reddit.com

D1NdP TIL that multiple skeletons were found in the basement of Benjamin Franklin's London home. The bones were discovered during a 1998 renovation of the house and were identified as being from nearly a dozen people, including six children.
bbVN TIL that decommissioned New York City Subway cars are dumped into the ocean to provide homes for sea creatures.
wonko TIL the French writer Guy de Maupassant ate lunch at the base of the Eiffel Tower almost every day because he hated its design so much, it was the one place in Paris where he couldn't see it.
oBr68 TIL cognitive dissonance is a discomfort triggered when a person’s belief clashes with new evidence. When confronted with facts that contradict personal beliefs, people will find a way to resolve the contradiction in order to reduce their discomfort.
BrBrD TIL that the first "road trip" was taken by Bertha Benz, wife of Karl Benz. She traveled 66 miles in the third Benz motorcar prototype without her husband's knowledge.