› added 10 years ago

50

TIL that the reason the Famicom (and later the Super Famicom and SNES) had an eject lever was not because pulling out the game was bad for the cartridge but because the designer, Masayuki Uemura, felt that it could entertain children even when ejecting games

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KOE86 TIL of Operation Moolah, a 1953 USAF effort to obtain a combat capable Soviet MiG-15 jet by rewarding any defecting Communist pilot 100k cash. The person who won it didn't even know it was being offered.
1aNG4 TIL Persian King Cambyses won the battle of Pelusium against Egypt by using their reverence of animals against them - his front line was dogs, sheep, cats, ibises & whatever other animals the Egyptians hold dear, & the Persian soldiers had the image of Bastet (cat goddess) painted on their shields.
gr1kL TIL Ancient pottery from West Africa have been chemically analyzed, showing organic residue of their diets. The Nok people from 3,500 years ago enjoyed quality nutrition in greens such as African eggplant, okra, cowpea and bombax, and added flavors to starch-based staples
nWXWB TIL Queen Victoria was fifth in line to the British throne when she was born.
ExdW TIL Only 4% of Irish people have red hair