› added 5 years ago

145

TIL about Phossy Jaw, an industrial disease that essentially rotted matchstick workers' bones from the inside out.

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

pDyQ TIL Philadelphia has a “consecrated hermit” who lives in a rowhouse he bought for $1.00.
M7bea TIL North Korea exported 1,680 tonnes – or about 135 double decker buses worth – of false eyelashes, beards and wigs
J1dR4 TIL Gremlins 2: The New Batch famously has a scene where the gremlins break the fourth wall and mess with the projector until Hulk Hogan forces them to stop. For the VHS release the gremlins mess with the tape and change channels until John Wayne forces them to stop.
XEYnj TIL that Warner Brothers called composer John Williams to compose music for a promotional reel for Harry Potter. He did it "sight unseen" (without looking at it). This music became Hedwig's theme and is the most recognized Harry Potter theme.
xVj80 TIL President Theodore Roosevelt, an avowed environmentalist, banned Christmas trees from the White House during his presidency.