M78l8 TIL about FunGuyz, a Canadian store that openly sold magic mushrooms which are illegal over there, had a number of chains across Ontario and Quebec but closed most of them due to frequent raids. They currently operate an online store.
0dYK5 TIL that the United States defense readiness condition (DEFCON) alert system ranges from 5 (lowest state of readiness) to 1 (nuclear war is imminent). The highest it has been is DEFCON 2, which occurred during the Cuban Missile Crisis and the 1991 Gulf War, but only for the Strategic Air Command
j6OWQ TIL that two amateur Canadian inventors - medical student Henry Woodward and hotelier Mathew Evans - patented the first electric light bulb in 1874. Unable to secure financial backing, they sold their patent to Thomas Edison, who demonstrated an improved electric light to fanfare five years later.
grR4D TIL that MLB professional baseballs are rubbed in special mud for games
LQP8m TIL that by 1984, the English band Depeche Mode desperately wanted to shed their youthful image. To do this, they released the song “Master and Servant” - a song about sexual domination and exploitation. Their plan worked so well that some radio stations even refused to play the song.
b6xAj TIL Lil Nas X's song "Old Town Road" samples "34 Ghosts IV" by Nine Inch Nails. The producer never intended for the sample to be used for a country song and had never heard of NIN until discovering the song through YouTube's suggestions algorithm
AN5nx TIL that UK created B-Lines, a series of ‘insect pathways’ (mostly dedicated to bees) running through the countryside and towns. They link existing wildlife areas together, creating a network, like a railway, that weaves across the British landscape.
QNBYa TIL future actor Michael Clarke Duncan participated in the 1979 Disco Demolition Night at Comiskey Park in Chicago, where he slid into third base, had a silver belt buckle stolen, and stole a bat from the dugout.
m1e6p TIL Henry Clay beat Andrew Jackson in Maryland in 1832 by just four votes, the smallest between two major candidates in any state in any presidential election in United States history
yVaEX TIL the island of Himakajima, Japan, has a single set of traffic lights and turns green only once a year to teach kids how to cross roads safely before they move to the mainland
DQWRD TIL that Palatine Rugae (the ridges on the top of your mouth) are unique to every person and can be used to ID corpses
vPkr8 TIL Clement von Franckenstein, a descendant of the original Franckenstein family, appears in the film 'Young Frankenstein' as an uncredited background actor