› added 3 years ago

115

TIL the first car to break the 100km/h (60mph) barrier was an electric vehicle in 1899

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

MP7B TIL Over 20,000 Americans service members deserted during World War 2. Pvt Eddie Slovik was executed to serve an example to others, the only service member executed for desertion since the Civil War to this day.
MPkK TIL that the phrase “to turn a blind eye” comes from British Vice Admiral Nelson, who was blind in one eye; in one battle, when he was signaled to stop attacking a fleet of Danish ships, he held up a telescope to his blind eye, saying “I really do not see the signal,” and attacked anyway
yVkYJ TIL No more than two flies are allowed by law in any public toilet in Beijing, China. In 2012 Authorities in the Chinese capital set new standards for public toilets, including a stipulation that they should contain no more than two flies.
Z8Rep TIL Roald Dahl wrote a Bond film.
9Yx97 TIL that Penn Station was actually once an elegant, beautiful building that was torn down in the 1960s, which caused such outrage that it led to the historical preservation of many of New York's buildings today.