› added 7 years ago

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TIL from 1897-1953, the NYC Post Office moved some of its mail using an intricate system of underground pneumatic tubes that shot canisters at a speed of 35 mph. At its peak, the tube system carried close to 100,000 letters a day – about 30% of all the mail that was routed through the city.

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dDYxr TIL about Prussian Heinrich Berger, an officer of the imperial German army and honored with the title of "Father of the Hawaiin music". He collaborated with King Kalakaua to create Hawaiʻi Ponoʻī, the national anthem of Hawaiʻi.
J1RO1 TIL about the Torino Scale, a tool used to determine the likelihood of an asteroid impact with Earth.
grv84 TIL Jimmy Buffett had to sue two entities for the right to open Margaritaville in Key West as they had copywrited the title and a woman in Hawaii copywrited Cheeseburger in Paradise. He had to fight to get the rights to the song he wrote.
OGB8L TIL the oldest plane still flying is a 1909 Bleriot Monoplane, made from wood tied together by fabric. The pilot sits in a wicker chair
xNZ7 TIL the Padres have signed the same handicapped ball player 20 years in row so he doesn’t lose his health insurance.