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195

TIL the @ symbol was invented in 1536. 435 years before email.

Read more smithsonianmag.com

via reddit.com

bGN9 TIL That the word phoney comes from the name for an Irish scam called “Fawney Ring” In which someone is sold a fake golden ring
R77N7 TIL that an English inventor named Maurice Ward (1933-2011) invented a thermal shielding material called Starlite which was able to withstand extreme heat (10000 degrees C), but never revealed its composition in fear of reverse engineering and losing control of rights to the material.
jENn TIL U.S. mint planned to introduce an aluminum penny in the 1970’s but then canceled the plans out of concern that if people ate them doctors wouldn’t be able to detect them with x-rays.
Rxkl TIL that we use Green-and Blue-Screen instead of Red because there is no blue or green pigment in our skin.
v17N7 TIL Walgreens grew dramatically (from 20 to 525 stores) during prohibition in the 1920s because they sold "prescription" alcohol (and milkshakes)