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TIL The newest US Navy destroyer is so stealthy that they have to affix huge reflectors on it during peacetime operations because radar thinks the 610-foot warship is a 50-foot fishing vessel which has already caused one near-collision with a civillian vssel.

Read more gizmodo.com

via ift.tt

KYEVJ TIL about the Phoebus Cartel, an oligopoly that carved up the early light bulb market for profit and to reduce the operating life of light bulbs from about 2,500 hours to under 1,000 hours to force people to buy more bulbs. It’s an early example of planned obsolescence to drive profits.
VMryZ TIL that on a single sheet of paper you can write down all the known laws of the universe, beautiful!
bRda TIL Jane Barbe was the woman who did “The number you have dialed…” recordings for the phone company. She got her start as a copywriter. Being a poor speller, she opted to read her first commercial out loud to her boss instead of submitting it in writing. He began paying her to make recordings.
AnKa TIL: A man bought a golden Faberge egg for $13,000 dollars at a sale; turns out it was worth over $33 million.
Yp1LP TIL that brake and tail lights are red because this colour has the highest wavelength in the colour spectrum making it visible in longer distances, even with fog.