TIL (Timeline I Learned)

TIL that Frederic Tudor known as the Ice King created the ice trade out of thin air. People ridiculed him for trying to sell winter to the tropics. His most profitable trade was sending ice to India. Packed with dense sawdust a 3 month trip with 180 tons still yielded 100 tons of delivered ice. [Source, Comments]

TIL that the last B-52 was built in 1962 and that with retrofits and repowering, the USAF expects the remaining 75 planes will be flying in 2050, when they are approaching 100 years old. [Source, Comments]

TIL After Emperor Xianfeng died, his wife Cixi ruled China from behind the throne and told her son, Emperor Tongzhi, what to do. Cixi encouraged Tongzhi to drink and keep many concubines. When Tongzhi had a baby boy, Cixi ordered the baby killed [Source, Comments]

TIL that during the American Civil War, Morocco arrested two Confederate diplomats and officially banned all Confederate ships from entering it's ports, honoring it's status as America's oldest ally despite intense British and French pressure. [Source, Comments]

TIL that in 1667 on today’s date, June 15th, the first fully recorded & successful human blood transfusion was done by King Louis XIV’s personal physician Jean-Baptiste Denys. He transfused lamb’s blood to a 15 year old boy suffering uncontrollable fevers. [Source, Comments]

TIL that in the three biggest U.S. sports leagues, exactly one player each has won the championship MVP despite playing for the losing team: Bobby Richardson (World Series, 1960), Jerry West (NBA Finals, 1969), and Chuck Howley (Super Bowl, 1971). More details in comments. [Source, Comments]

TIL the Noah's Ark Encounter attraction in Kentucky sued its insurance company over damage caused by heavy rains. [Source, Comments]

TIL Liza Minnelli provided backing vocals on the My Chemical Romance album The Black Parade [Source, Comments]

TIL: During the 1859 Carrington solar storm, telegraph operators disconnected their machines from all power and kept sending messages powered entirely by the Aurora Borealis! Two even held a two-hour conversation with zero external power source! [Source, Comments]

TIL Urine deflectors are devices used to deter public urination and include rounded, bulging corners and hydrophobic paint [Source, Comments]

TIL the 1815 Mt Tambora volcanic eruption wiped out the Tambora culture, a highly localised population of about 10,000 with a unique lannguage thought to be an isolate [Source, Comments]

TIL Bill Gates was the richest billionaire 10 years ago sitting at just $75B [Source, Comments]

TIL that your average housecat can run up to 30 mph, faster than Usain Bolt's top speed of 27.3 mph. [Source, Comments]

TIL that the Kalambo Structure (located in Kalambo Falls, Zambia) is the oldest known wooden structure. It is dated to be around 476,000 years old, predating Homo Sapiens. Though no conclusive attribution has been made, a 300,000 year Homo Heidelbergensis skull was found at another Zambian site. [Source, Comments]

TIL that Napoleon's original grave on Saint Helena was left without an inscription because British authorities wanted it to read "Napoleon Bonaparte", while his followers insisted on simply "Napoleon" [Source, Comments]

TIL although she is commonly known as “The Iron Lady,” Margaret Thatcher was also dubbed by the press as “The Milk Snatcher,” for sponsoring legislation to eliminate the free milk program for students over the age of seven. [Source, Comments]

TIL that sexually rejected male fruit flies turn to booze. [Source, Comments]

TIL that roughly 50–55 billion sticky notes are produced worldwide every year — a market that has now passed $2 billion and keeps growing even in the digital age. [Source, Comments]

TIL only 23 video games have been released with an Adult Only (AO) rating from the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) [Source, Comments]

TIL Charles Mason, who graduated first in the class of 1829 at West Point ahead of future Confederate Army commander Robert E. Lee. Mason graduated with an overall score of 1,995.5 points out of a possible 2,000, compared to Lee's 1,966.5. Mason resigned from the army two years after his graduation. [Source, Comments]