gr51X TIL Swedish car company Volvo turned down a deal that would see them sell 40% of their company for a share of Norwegian oil, that share is now worth 140-200 billion dollars, Volvo was sold in 2010 for less than 2 billion dollars
LQA00 TIL Neapolitan ice cream was invented in Prussia, not Italy
b6yeZ TIL that cellophane is not made from plastic but is produced from plants - using regenerated cellulose derived from organic materials including wood, cotton and hemp.
QN90k TIL In 1974 there were so many tornado warnings in Indiana that forecasters couldn't keep up. In frustration, they ended up putting the entire state under a tornado warning. This was the first and only time this has ever happened.
yV78e TIL about the Areni-1 leather shoe, the world's oldest piece of leather footwear known to researchers. It was discovered in Armenia, remarkably preserved thanks to the cool, dry cave conditions and a thick layer of sheep dung that acted as a natural seal.
m1jZY TIL - Tim Curry, famed actor from Rocky Horror Picture Show, IT and many other films/TV/stage projects,had 3 studio albums released in the late 70's/early 80's
ANGAa TIL that Queen guitarist Brian May’s iconic ‘Red Special’ guitar was hand-built by his father using an old oak table, a 100-year-old fireplace mantel, a bicycle saddlebag holder, his mother’s knitting needles and a button from her sewing box.
DQvBe TIL that chainsaws were originally invented to aid childbirth.
vP5aR TIL of shade balls, which are placed on water reservoirs to prevent sunlight and evaporation, among other things
J1pj1 TIL that in 2003, Mike Rowe created MikeRoweSoft.com and was sued by Microsoft because it sounded too much like Microsoft.com . The two parties later settled out of court & Mike Rowe was given an Xbox as compensation.
pYyr8 TIL that the actual reason that toilets have a half flush and full flush is because half is for only for liquids and full is for solids. Never realised that until now.
GAGp1 TIL that the fear of long words is names hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia.