› added 1 year ago

59

TIL that a higher % of people in Jamaica speak English, than in the USA.

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via reddit.com

BgKlx TIL that before Roger Bannister ran a mile in 1954 in 3 minutes and 59 seconds, it was believed that running a mile in under 4 minutes was impossible, and would make your heart explode. Thousands of people have done it since then.
b477 TIL AT&T almost caused nuclear war. In 1961, the US lost contact with its early warning systems. Assuming the USSR had attacked, bombers were scrambled but recalled when contact was made with an EWS base. The phone blackout was caused by a faulty AT&T switch they had promised to replace.
KY9xG TIL stock trader Jesse Livermore predicted the 1929 crash, made a profit due to his prediction, and became a target until his eventual suicide in 1940
mRMo TIL London isn’t naturally foggy. London’s Fog was an artifact of coal burning smog.
mQpP TIL that a man survived the sinking of a ship in 1871, leaving him traumatized afterwards. Some forty years later he was finally able to overcome his fears and sail again… only to die on the Titanic.