› added 9 years ago

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TIL Theophilus Van Kannel, the guy who invented revolving doors did so because he hated chivalry, especially the idea of opening doors for women.

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0pmy TIL Yale has a rare book and manuscript library with “windows” of translucent marble to prevent the books from being exposed to direct sunlight
6XyW TIL that the roar from the T-Rex in Jurassic Park is a baby elephant mixed with a tiger and an alligator, and its breath is a whale’s blow.
xV9kB TIL of Aeroflot Flight 6502, where the pilot made a bet with the co-pilot that he could land the plane "blind". The plane crashed, resulting in 70 fatalities. The pilot survived, and served only a 6-year prison sentence.
0KK1 TIL that the USSR renamed its rocket base Baikonur in 1961 to keep the Soviet space program a secret. Residents of the original Baikonur, hundreds of km away, took advantage of the resulting confusion by ordering many valuable supplies for themselves before the scam was discovered.
b9kB7 TIL that Christmas is banned in North Korea and instead of Christmas, the birthday of Kim Jong-suk (grandmother of the current supreme leader of North Korea) is celebrated on Christmas eve. However, some North Korean Christian believers still celebrate Christmas in secret.