› added 6 years ago

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TIL that Ethernet inventor Robert Metcalfe predicted that the internet would collapse in 1996, promising to eat his words if not. In 1997, he took a printed copy of his column that predicted the collapse, put it in a blender with some liquid and then consumed the pulpy mass.

a84Zo TIL about Bob Fitzsimmons, boxing's first three-division world champion. He is the first middleweight champion to win the heavyweight title and has the Guinness world record for being the 'lightest' heavyweight champion, weighing in at 165lbs when he won the title.
xVlW7 TIL that during WWII, the large crosswelded metal beams that covered the beaches of Normandy on D-day are called Hemmbalken, and were supposed to wreck landing craft that were expected to attack during high tide. The Allies instead charged while exposed during low tide.
6DPW TIL that in 2008, a conservative town in Oregon elected the 1st openly transgender, cross-dressing mayor in the US. When the Westboro Baptist Church came to protest, many of the male residents of the town wore dresses as an act of solidarity with their mayor.
R5M09 TIL: Displaying pictures of eyes causes people to behave more pro-socially. So, putting up a picture of a person in, say, a conference room will make executives behave more ethically.
vo6j TIL After complaints about baggage wait times, Houston airport moved the baggage claim farther away. The walk took longer than the wait and the complaints dropped to nearly zero.