› added 7 months ago

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TIL that "U and non-U English" was a British theory of dialects in the 1950s that noted that the aspiring middle classes actually used "more refined" language than the upper classes - like "pardon?" instead of "what?", and to "pass on" instead of to "die"

5YZWB TIL about "GeoFraming" where companies are able to track you through your devices based on venues you've visited like a concert or stadium as far as 6 months in the past. Then geolocate your home address and target ads to your home IP address with no opt-in.
l7X0N TIL, Australian zookeeper, conservationist, and tv programmer Steve Irwin was filming a documentary in the Great Barrier Reef when he was stung by a stingray. 10 stingrays were found with their tails cut off. It is believe that they were taken out by his fans as an act of revenge.
Ja64 TIL that Mars Candy corp, makers of Snickers, Three Muskateers, Milky Way, Twix ect., cut the size of their candy bars by 11% this year. They referred to it not as cutting size but “cutting calories”
9RPB TIL that John Tyler, 10th President of the United States, was actually elected by Virginians to the Confederate Congress. When he died he became the only President to be buried under the flag of a foreign nation.
kOBO4 TIL That Harry Houdini stipulated in his will that all his props should be "destroyed and burned" after the death of his brother. His brother sold them instead. In 1995, a fire destroyed the museum where the props were kept.