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TIL - The first push-button telephone was commercially introduced by Bell Telephone on November 18, 1963. Prior to this phones operated on a rotary system.

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0Y0v TIL the American Chestnut tree was almost completely destroyed by Chestnut Blight 100 years ago. Before the blight there were 4 billion trees, there are now around 100 mature trees left. Any new trees planted today are killed by the blight before they mature.
ZpD5G TIL about a man who was rescued by a sea lion after he tried to kill himself by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge
pKO8 TIL that the Oath taken by US Military Officers requires that they bear allegiance - not to any US President or other government official - but only to the Constitution of the United States, which they are sworn to support and defend against all enemies, foriegn and domestic
gMJA8 TIL, that King George VI, Elizabeth II's father, was the first British Monarch to visit the U.S since the American Revolution
9YDlm TIL that out at sea, a tsunami is only about a metre high, and could pass a boat without being noticed. As it approaches the shore, it’s the sudden deceleration from about 800km/h to 50km/h which creates the immense wave