› added 11 years ago

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TIL Abraham Lincoln dressed up as a Scottish immigrant in order to escape an assassination attempt on his way into Washington for his Inauguration.

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NXL8e TIL Levi Hutchins created America's first mechanical alarm clock in 1787 because he wanted to get up at 4am every day. So his device was only set to that desired time and it was another 60 years before Antoine Redier made one that was able to be adjusted to a time other than 4am.
neeQr TIL the number of stars on the EU flag don't actually represent anything. They picked 12 stars because it was the least politically offensive number. When it was suggested each member have a star, West Germany protested because of a conflict with recognizing Saarland (a recognized EU member).
ewE TIL While filming Alfred Hitchcock’s movie “Rope” a camera operator’s foot was crushed. To avoid re-filming the scene he was gagged and hauled out of the studio.
XEy76 TIL Offshore oil/gas rigs are among the most productive fish habitats in the world. For some species, the rigs are even better nurseries than natural reefs.
8aON4 TIL the capacity of an average garbage truck in North America -- 500-1000 homes!