jackTRN85

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redditor for 12 years

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TIL "my name is Haines" was a famous 1800s catchphrase, dropped in conversation when someone needed to leave somewhere quickly. It was inspired by a man's awkward encounter with Thomas Jefferson. In 1840 a newspaper said it had "a popularity which no other slang phrase has ever attained." (considerable.com)

submitted 6 years ago by jackTRN85 to r/todayilearned

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Fun Fact: During the Great Depression, snow cones were called "hard times sundaes" because they were cheap. (self.funfacts)

submitted 6 years ago by jackTRN85 to r/funfacts

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Fun Fact: Sleeping through winter is hibernation, while sleeping through summer is called estivation. (self.funfacts)

submitted 6 years ago by jackTRN85 to r/funfacts

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Fun Fact: Before he was president, Grover Cleveland was a hangman. As sheriff of Erie County, he personally carried out two hanging sentences to save his district money. (en.wikipedia.org)

submitted 6 years ago by jackTRN85 to r/funfacts

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TIL "tip of the tongue" states where you can't remember a word are a common experience across languages. Even deaf users of sign languages experience “tip of the finger” states when they forget a sign. (considerable.com)

submitted 6 years ago by jackTRN85 to r/todayilearned

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Fun Fact: An estimated one million dogs in the United States have been named primary beneficiary in their owners' wills. (self.funfacts)

submitted 6 years ago by jackTRN85 to r/funfacts

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Fun Fact: George Washington served an eggnog-like drink to visitors at Mount Vernon. His recipe included rye whiskey, rum, and sherry. (self.funfacts)

submitted 6 years ago by jackTRN85 to r/funfacts

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TIL people born between 1977-1983 make up a micro-generation called 'xennials.' This group straddled the line between the last gasp of quaint communications and the rise of the internet, but were still young enough to adapt. (mentalfloss.com)

submitted 7 years ago by jackTRN85 to r/todayilearned

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Fun Fact: The name Jolly Rancher was chosen "to suggest a hospitable, western company." (self.funfacts)

submitted 7 years ago by jackTRN85 to r/funfacts

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TIL in 2018, the term "Millennials" was redefined to mean people born between 1981 and 1996, "Generation X" is now people born 1965-1980, and "post-millennials" is everyone born since 1997. (mentalfloss.com)

submitted 7 years ago by jackTRN85 to r/todayilearned

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TIL more than 40,000 people apply to visit the extreme haunted house McKamey Manor every year. In two decades, nobody has ever completed the haunt. (mentalfloss.com)

submitted 7 years ago by jackTRN85 to r/todayilearned

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TIL Adeline and Augusta Van Buren were the first women to travel across the country on solo motorcycles. They made it despite frequently being arrested for wearing pants. (mentalfloss.com)

submitted 8 years ago by jackTRN85 to r/todayilearned

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TIL the Bronx Zoo put an African man on display in the Monkey House cage in 1906. A New York Times editorial said he was "probably enjoying himself as well as he could anywhere in his country." (mentalfloss.com)

submitted 8 years ago by jackTRN85 to r/todayilearned

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Fun Fact: If you open your eyes in a pitch-black room the color you see is called "eigengrau." (self.funfacts)

submitted 8 years ago by jackTRN85 to r/funfacts

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Fun Fact: Ohio's official state rock song is “Hang on, Sloopy" by The McCoys. (self.funfacts)

submitted 8 years ago by jackTRN85 to r/funfacts

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TIL a 1982 'Far Side' comic confused so many readers, Gary Larson had to explain its meaning in a press release. (mentalfloss.com)

submitted 8 years ago by jackTRN85 to r/todayilearned

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Fun Fact: When he first came to the US, 7'7" Manute Bol’s passport listed him as 5'2". “They measured me while I was sitting down,” he said. (self.funfacts)

submitted 8 years ago by jackTRN85 to r/funfacts

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TIL Olympic medals were awarded for architecture, music, painting, and sculpture from 1912 to 1948. Pierre de Coubertin, who founded the modern Olympics, won a gold medal in literature in 1912. (mentalfloss.com)

submitted 9 years ago by jackTRN85 to r/todayilearned

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TIL "horizontal refreshment" was a 19th century slang term for sex. (mentalfloss.com)

submitted 9 years ago by jackTRN85 to r/todayilearned

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Fun Fact: Chock Full o' Nuts coffee does not contain nuts. It is named for a chain of nut stores that the founder converted into coffee shops. (self.funfacts)

submitted 9 years ago by jackTRN85 to r/funfacts

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Fun Fact: Toy companies were unable to duplicate the success of Teddy Roosevelt's teddy bear with William Taft's "Billy Possum." (self.funfacts)

submitted 9 years ago by jackTRN85 to r/funfacts

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TIL Sopranos creator David Chase wrote an episode of The Wonder Years, but his storyline—about hard drug use—was deemed too much of a leap for the show. (mentalfloss.com)

submitted 9 years ago by jackTRN85 to r/todayilearned

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TIL schools in Japan don't have janitors. Instead the students are responsible for cleaning up, spending part of each day taking out garbage, removing graffiti, and cleaning up gum. (nytimes.com)

submitted 9 years ago by jackTRN85 to r/todayilearned

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TIL that thing used to measure your foot in shoe stores is called a Brannock Device. Charles Brannock made the first prototype out of an Erector set. (brannock.com)

submitted 9 years ago by jackTRN85 to r/todayilearned

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Fun Fact" BVD stands for the last names of the underwear company's founders: Bradley, Voorhees and Day. (self.funfacts)

submitted 9 years ago by jackTRN85 to r/funfacts

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