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TIL That karate belts go from lighter to darker colors as you rank up since Japan was poor during WW2, and dying the belts were cheaper than getting new ones

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nWerW TIL that New York Times has occasionally experienced gaps in publication due to multiple strikes in its history. One such strike occurred in 1978. Various papers formed to fill the gap including the satirical Not The New York Times.
W7rJL TIL a typical elephant tusk contains enough ivory to create 8 billiard balls. In the 1800s, demand for ivory was such that an award was offered for the development of an alternative. The first patent for an ivory-substitute was filed in 1867; it was used to make billiard balls through the 1960s.
gMlbX TIL How often you hold your baby actually affects their DNA. The researchers looked at a process called DNA methylation. When they compared the methylation between the children the cells of the low-contact children were less mature than they should have been given the child’s actual age.
awonN TIL Since its founding in the 1960s, the brand Vans has become a staple of American footwear culture, on the level with iconic brands like Converse (which is twice as old) and Nike (which is nearly 10 times as large)
loJpV TIL that using his knowledge of telephone systems, Kevin Poulsen, alias “Dark Dante,” hacked the phone lines of a radio station to become the winning caller for a brand new Porsche. He was sentenced to 5 years and banned from using computers for years. Later he reinvented himself as a journalist.