History »
Teflon was Invented by Accident
Today I found out Teflon was invented by accident. The man who accidentally invented it was Dr. Roy Plunkett. After receiving his BA, MS, and eventually PhD in organic chemistry, Dr. Plunkett took a
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The Microwave Oven Was Invented by Accident by a Man Who was Orphaned and Never Finished Grammar School
Today I found out the microwave oven was invented by accident by a man who was orphaned and never finished grammar school. The man was Percy Spencer. At the age of just 18 months
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Why We Divide the Day Into Seconds, Minutes, and Hours
Note: This is a guest article contributed by frequent TIFO visitor, paramedic, and amateur physicist, Scott. Today I found out why we divide the day in to seconds, minutes, and hours. The concept of
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Why Short Movie Advertisement Clips are Called “Trailers”
Today I found out why short movie advertisement clips are called “trailers”, even though they are typically shown before the movie. It turns out, the first movie trailers occurred not at the beginning of the
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Toilet Paper was First Used by the Chinese
Today I found out that toilet paper was first used by the Chinese about 1300 years before it caught on with the rest of the world. The first references of people using toilet paper
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How the “I’m Going to Disneyland” Saying Got Started
Today I found out how the “I’m going to Disneyland/Disney World” saying got started. In January of 1987, CEO of Disney, Michael Eisner, and his wife were having dinner with Dick Rutan and Jeana
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The Origin of the LOLCat Meme
Today I found out the origin of the lolcat meme. It turns out, the oldest known reference to an lolcat style picture/caption dates all the way back to 1903 from photographer Harry Whittier Frees,
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The Signers of The Declaration of Independence Did So On August 2nd, 1776 Not July 4th
Today I found out most the signers of the Declaration of Independence did so on August 2nd, 1776, not July 4th. In fact, nobody signed it on the 4th. This is contradictory to
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The Real Life “George Bailey” Who Founded Bank of Italy which Became Bank of America
Today I found out about the real life “George Bailey” (It’s a Wonderful Life), who founded the Bank of Italy which became Bank of America. The man was A.P. Giannini who was said to
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Adolf Hitler had a British Nephew Who Joined the U.S. Navy During WWII
Today I found out Adolf Hitler had a British nephew who joined the U.S. navy during WWII. Hitler’s nephew, who he would come to call “my loathsome nephew”, was originally named William Patrick Hitler,
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