› added 12 years ago

317

TIL mirrors are placed near elevators as a psychological trick to make wait seem more tolerable. People like to look at themselves.

Read more 37signals.com

via reddit.com

1mmX TIL the California Roll was invented in Vancouver, Canada. The rice on the outside of the roll was because Vancouverites didn’t want to eat seaweed.
6Ea4Q TiL Coca-Cola acquired the production company set to make Stand By Me, but discarded the film as having no commercial value. Rob Reiner managed to convince Norman Lear to donate $8M of his own money to make the academy nominated film.
699MW TIL about Bob Lemmons, an expert "Mustanger." Freed by the Civil War, he learned to tame horses. Usually herds of wild mustangs were run down by groups, but Lemmons worked alone. Riding with the herd for several weeks, he'd gradually take over, mount the stallion and lead the horses into a corral.
69VOY TIL In Germany, dancing is banned on 'silent' religious holidays, including Good Friday
pLOe TIL that Sir Isaac Newton, while Master of the Royal Mint, personally went undercover in bars and taverns to root out rampant counterfeiting, which was high treason (punishable by being hanged, drawn and quartered). He successfully prosecuted 28 counterfeiters in 18 months.