› added 11 years ago

120

TIL Abraham Lincoln was reported to be “fond of dumb animals, especially cats.”

Read more mrlincolnswhitehouse.org

via reddit.com

WknBo TIL that Fort Ross, built on the coast of California just north of San Francisco, was the southernmost Russian settlement in colonial North America from 1812 to 1841.
Qer6 TIL In 1974, two phone hackers stood on a California beach and from two public phone booths intercepted every incoming call to Santa Barbara, and told the dialers the city had been wiped out in a nuclear explosion, causing a widespread panic.
4kMvN TIL Rock paper scissors originates from Jan-ken, a Japanese variation of a Chinese game imported to Japan in the 17th century, which had a slug, frog and snake. The modern version was created in the late 19th century and spread beyond East Asia as Japan increased contact with the west
W70JL TIL that in 1972 Indiana University accredited an entire course dedicated to the study of comic books, thanks to junior student Michael Uslan who would later become responsible for bringing Tim Burton's (1989) Batman to the big screen.
vPejD TIL: Starfish Prime was the largest nuclear test in space. At 250 miles in the air, it EMPed 900 miles of Hawaii, frying electrical systems, setting off burglar alarms, and shut down 6+ satellites due to the months long radiation belt. After 5 years, traces of the electrons still linger in space.