› added 7 years ago

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TIL: The modern use of gay comes from gaycat, a slang term among hobos meaning a boy who accomapnies an older, more experienced tramp, with the implication of sexual favors being exchanged for protection.

0M9A TIL in the movie Cast Away, when asked what was in the FedEx package Chuck Noland (Tom Hanks) left unopened, director Robert Zemeckis replied that it was a waterproof, solar-powered satellite phone.
loG47 TIL that a significant contribution to the 2003 NE blackout was the tendency of high-voltage lines to sag under high current. As one power line sagged, touched an unmaintained tree and faulted, the load on remaining lines increased, causing a cascade of sagging onto trees and faulting.
b9lBQ TIL Kodak invented the first digital camera in 1975 and patented it in 1977, instead of marketing it they focused on their film business. Eventually their competitors who did market digital cameras drove them to bankruptcy.
GYZGN TIL about Ben's Game. Ben Duskin was a Make-A-Wish kid with leukemia, and his wish was to develop a game about fighting cancer. After getting several offers, Ben worked with Eric Johnston, a software engineer from LucasArts. The game was finished and made available for free in several hospitals.
PmeE TIL Penn & Teller created a Sega Game in the 90s called ‘Desert Bus.’ The Objective is to drive in a straight line from Tucson, Arizona, to Las Vegas, Nevada. The Journey takes aprox 8 hours, cannot be paused and you are awarded 1 point every time you complete it.