› added 4 years ago

238

TIL that Sony needed military export permits from the Japanese trade ministry for the export of PlayStation 2s. The PS2 was so good at processing high quality images quickly that the Japanese government believed it was possible to adapt it for use in missile guidance systems.

Read more latimes.com

via reddit.com

4Xl0o TIL Canada has an older 'continually running' monarchy than the UK, having been initially established in the 16th Century. While being under British Rule, French Rule, and ultimately an independent monarchy, there has not been a time since Canada has not had a monarch.
6ErAl TIL that "The Pocket Book of Boners" (1941), by Dr. Seuss, was one of the best selling books of WWII with over 1.34 million copies in print by 1945. It is a compilation of four books in the Boners Series: "Boners" (1931), "More Boners" (1931), "Still More Boners" (1931), and "Prize Boners" (1932).
0oO5 TIL the shoshinsha mark is a green and yellow symbol that new Japanese drivers must place on their cars for a year; conversely, the fukushi mark (orange and yellow) is for elderly drivers. Both marks warn other drivers that the marked driver is not very skilled due to inexperience or old age.
D1NQp TIL Concorde flew so high passengers received twice the dose of radiation from flying in a conventional aircraft, which was believed to increase cancer risk. The flight deck contained a radiometer so they could descend in case of a solar storm.
olxW TIL Meat Loaf attempted to avoid being drafted into the army by gaining 68 pounds, presuming he would fail his medical. He didn’t fail, but he did ignore the draft call.