› added 2 years ago

65

TIL that the first national speed limit law of 55mph passed in 1974 in the US was not because of safety concerns, but because fast-traveling vehicles would have exacerbated the oil shortage at the time

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bxjN TIL Three Israeli prisoners in Sweden rejected an offer to continue their sentence in Israel because the Swedish prison “resembled a five-star hotel”. The prisoners had their own TV airing world cup games, a wide variety of food including steak and conjugal visits.
vPVVR TIL that the Samaritans charity used to have a dedicated division for listening to sexually explicit calls, known as the "Brendas"
gRny TIL that in 1985, Edward Johnson programmed his computer to call Jerry Falwell’s toll-free number every 30 seconds and then hang up. In total, he charged over $500,000 in phone bills to Falwell’s organization.
awymy TIL In order to keep the secret of "Who shot J.R.?", every actor on Dallas was filmed shooting J.R., including J.R. himself.
ep0Jn TIL that the Mandarin Chinese equivalent of the phrase "speak of the devil" is "shuo Cao Cao, Cao Cao dao," or "speak of Cao Cao and Cao Cao appears," referencing the 3rd century warlord and statesman Cao Cao.