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TIL Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap was created by Emanuel H. Bronner, the son of German soapmakers who died in the Holocaust. Refusing to emigrate with him, their last communication was a censored postcard: “You were right. —Your loving father.”

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1aYOd TIL the watch made its migration from the pocket to the wrist during World War I, when soldiers were obligated to attach them to their arms for coordinated attacks, instead of fumbling in their pockets. Before then, the "bracelet watch" had mostly been regarded as a joke and "silly-ass fad".
pPAQ TIL: In the 30’s workers in Costa Rica unearthed almost perfectly round stone spheres. No one is sure exactly when or how they were made, or by whom, or for what reason. The largest is 16 tons.
b5PZ TIL that the TV show ‘The Golden Girls’ began as a joke. To promote 'Miami Vice’ to advertisers, NBC in 1984 put on a skit about the nonexistent 'Miami Nice’, about retirees in Florida playing cards. Network executive Warren Littlefield, watching the audience laugh, liked the idea of such a sitcom.
OoAQY TIL athletes involved in the East German doping program are estimated to suffer from rates of cardiovascular disease or cancer up to five-times higher than the general population and live 10-12 years fewer
jNAxn TIL: Ethiopia is several years behind the rest of the world. Since the religious country is so strongly influenced by the Coptic Orthodox Church, it still adheres to the traditional calendar of that church, which is seven years behind the rest of the world. Currently it's November 2011 there.