Post * 060A — Curious Curator

› added 11 years ago

97

TIL - After the end of WW II, the Allies sold captured Enigma machines, still widely considered secure, to developing countries. These countries did not know that the machine had been broken, their supposedly secure communications were being read regularly by the major Western intelligence agencies

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BgMex TIL that the State of North Carolina owns a 317-mile rail corrider between Morehead City, NC and Charlotte, NC. It is operated by Norfolk Southern, and carries over 70 freight and 8 passenger trains per day.

jNoev TIL Festivus was a real holiday invented by the father of a Seinfeld writer. In their celebration, their dad would also put a clock in a bag & nail it to the wall. “I don't know what it meant...he would always say, "That's not for you to know."”

5yXp TIL the FDA relies on studies performed by the companies seeking approval of chemicals they manufacture or want to use. No other developed country has a system where companies decide the safety of chemicals put into food. Many food additives allowed in the U.S. are banned in other countries

DQLdD TIL why NHL Stadiums sound an air horn after a goal is scored. Thank Bill Wirtz, owner of both Chicago Stadium and the Blackhawks, who liked the sound of his air horn on his yacht, so he had one installed inside the stadium in 1973. His uncle's company made it, and most NHL horns come from them.

R7GOQ TIL that 100's of years ago scribes drew colorful ¶ ("pilcrows") to mark new paragraphs. They'd leave blank spaces for the ¶'s then switch inks and add them. They would often miss some so readers evolved to interpret a blank space (indent) as the start of a new paragraph. Voila.