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TIL that the pecan industry's success is due to a slave named Antoine, who was a gardener and expert grafter of pecan trees. In 1876, nuts from Antoine's trees were displayed alongside Bell's telephone, the Remington typewriter, Heinz ketchup, and the right arm and torch of the Statue of Liberty.

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wpPE TIL Thomas Edison invented the Electric Pen to copy office documents, which was a commercial Flop. 15 years later Samuel O'Reilly discovered that Edison’s machine could be modified and used to introduce ink into the skin, and later patented a tube and needle system to provide an ink reservoir.
Vl6Z TIL there’s a time-honored tradition of allowing brewery employees all the free beer they wish while working: It’s called Der Sternewirth
grnw7 TIL Security Guard Joseph Trombino barely survived an infamous 1981 NY robbery of a Brink's Armored Car. Nearly a decade later, he would then go on to also barely survive the 1993 World Trade Center bombings but tragically died on Sept 11 2001 in the WTC North Tower
OGZYY TIL that at the North Pole there is no local time since all lines of longitude, and thus all time zones, converge there. The sun rises, and sets only once per year, meaning that the sun's position could also not be used to synchronise time.
QNXQ9 TIL in 2015, the US Department of Defense accidentally mailed live anthrax to several locations in different states. This happened less than year after the CDC had done the same thing.