› added 11 years ago

77

TIL that Google has a secret laboratory in California that is developing, among other things, a space elevator.

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via reddit.com

N7Rk6 TIL that in 1859 a 2 hour telegraph conversation between Portland and Boston was able to be had without the use of any battery power. This was due to an aurora borealis generating enough electric current in the telegraph wires.
0wnMA TIL that in 1955 (at the height of the cold war), the Soviet weight lifting champion matched the Olympic record of the time with a 330.3 lb press, only to be beaten in the same competition by Paul Anderson with his 402.41 lb and 402.5 lb press. Earning respect from both USA and Soviet Union.
5VDP9 TIL in 1970 Sesame Street was banned in Mississippi for having a racially integrated cast
GA7V1 TIL that Box Tops were created by General Mills to help raise money for school, and have raised over 1 billion dollars.
wbA1 TIL that Fred Phelps was excommunicated from the Westboro Baptist Church before his death for having a change of heart about his religious beliefs and acknowledging the ‘Equality House,’ a local LGBT support organization, as “good people.”