› added 6 years ago

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TIL of Civilian Public Service (CPS), a US government program that provided conscientious objectors with an alternative to military service during World War II. CPS draftees fought forest fires, helped reform an abusive mental health system, and even acted as test subjects in medical experiments.

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v1NlK Today I learned the late, great voiceover god Peter Thomas of Forensic Files and numerous documentaries provided the voice of Philips brand Automated External Defibrillators. He said that Philips "wanted a voice that wouldn't scare people." Clearly they never watched Forensic Files alone at 3 AM!
dln9 TIL that after instituting blind auditions, taking careful measures to avoid knowing anything about the applicants other than their musical ability, the top five orchestras in the US tripled the number of female musicians they hired.
OoZAa TIL that a fisherman in Florida hooked a swordfish so big that it dragged his boat for 20 miles and fought for eight hours before he could pull it in. It turned out to be the biggest swordfish ever caught in Florida waters.
8eAWb TIL that an Elvis impersonator in Arkansas, who legally had his name changed to Elvis Presley, unsuccessfully ran for the positions of Arkansas Commissioner of State Lands in 2014, Arkansas State Senator of District 26 in 2016, and U.S. Representative of Arkansas's District 1 in 2018.
jNwWN TIL the Pentagon has worked behind the scenes on over 800 major movies and more than 1,000 TV titles. If there are characters, action or dialogue that the DOD don’t approve of, a film-maker who uses military equipment has to make changes to accommodate the military’s demands.