› added 12 years ago

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TIL A Polish man has woke from a 19-year coma to find the Communist party no longer in power and food no longer rationed.

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0Zkj TIL that in 1975, the Food and Drug Administration ruled that Pringles cannot legally call themselves “Potato chips” because they’re not made from sliced potatoes. Also, in the UK, the company tried to argue that Pringles weren’t chips (“crisps” in the UK) because chips are subject to a 17.5% VAT
ADDwg TIL that a psychiatric study done on survivors of the WWII London bombings shows that while people that barely survived suffered shock and trauma, people farther away felt a "feeling of excitement with a flavor of invulnerability".
8a1yK TIL The Wizard of OZ was an allegory for progressivism—The cowardly lion represents politicians bowing to big business, and the tin man and scarecrow are workers and farmers. Dorthy is America, erroneously following the yellow brick road (gold standard) but saved by her silver slippers (in the book)
er9b TIL that there is a hidden pattern called the EURion Constellation that is incorporated into over 52 countries’ banknotes, including the US. Printers will refuse to print banknotes if the pattern is detected, and PhotoShop will prevent editing if the pattern is detected.
P1x4G TIL about the Köln Concert, a 1974 piano recital by Keith Jarrett. The venue’s piano was smaller than specified, was out of tune, and had malfunctioning pedals, forcing Jarrett to improvise around its shortcomings. The concert recording is the best-selling solo jazz and best-selling piano album.