› added 2 years ago

95

TIL in 1985, the song "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer" gained notoriety at an lowa radio station when a DJ played the song 27 times back-to-back during a morning show. The DJ, who was suspended, was reportedly depressed and upset that a co-worker had left the job.

kOgdW TIL there's a town in Texas called White Settlement. The area was called "white" because it was a settlement of white homesteaders, as opposed to other settlements in the vicinity that were composed of both white and Native American residents.
QNGLp TIL that in an unrivaled capacity to taunt the enemy US Army General Matthew Ridgway would stand in the middle of a road under heavy artillery fire and urinate to demonstrate his contempt for German accuracy. Aides and fellow generals repeatedly begged him to abandon this bravado. He ignored them.
l7GZN TIL Tommy Cooper was a Welsh magician/comedian whose shtick was "a clumsy magician messes up his tricks". He had a massive heart attack, collapsed and died on stage during a live broadcast, in front of 12 million viewers, with studio audience laughing at what they thought was just one of his acts.
ajOo TIL airline pilots in the 1930s and 40s would navigate by listening to a stream of automated “A” and “N” Morse codes when visibility was poor. They would turn the aircraft to the right when hearing an “N” stream, to the left on an “A” stream and fly straight ahead while hearing a steady tone.
W7wDN TIL 95% of built spaces are considered Vernacular architecture. Vernacular architecture uses local tradition, adaption, and materials rather than a formal architectural style.