› added 10 years ago

138

TIL that in 1962, special, hi-tech locks were added to all U.S. nuclear missiles that would prevent launch without a secret, unique launch code. However, military officials quietly circumvented this safeguard by setting every locK to “00000000”. The codes remained unchanged until 1977.

Read more web.archive.org

via reddit.com

5Vmjp TIL that in the UK, instead of driving to the stadium and drinking and tailgating in the parking lot before sports games, fans often drink at the local pub before walking over to the stadium.
9YavD TIL that all the photos of ikea products you find in their catalogs are not even real photos. They create all the furniture in a 3D program and place them in different scenes (like a kitchen). Then they render it so realistically that you can't distinguish it from a real photo. Since 2004!
XEZQr TIL that several states have ruled Breathalyzer machines inadmissible as evidence in prosecution due to them being unreliable, improperly calibrated, etc. This has been a multi year/decade problem and people knew. The manufacturers also are shady.
kO61m TIL: Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s love for theater began when he saw Arthur Miller’s All My Sons at the age of 12. The last time Hoffman acted on stage was in 2012, performing in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman
78ewZ TIL that the Post-It note was invented by a scientist at 3M who attempted to develop a super-strong adhesive but instead, accidentally created a "low-tack", reusable, pressure-sensitive adhesive