› added 7 years ago

134

TIL more Mexicans leaving than coming to the U.S.

Read more pewhispanic.org

via reddit.com

P1bvw TIL: Under pressure to meet the deadline for an air mail contract, in 1934 a British air manufacturer designed a passenger airliner in only 4 months. The resulting plane had so many design flaws it immediately led to three fatal crashes
0wPap TIL it is possible to record 4 outs in a half inning of baseball. Thanks Snapple!
9MrD TIL that the distorted words in CAPTCHAs (the anti-spam feature) are all taken from old books and newspapers. By identifying the words, users are actually helping to transcribe these printed sources to the internet. As a result, the entire New York Times archive is now searchable back to 1850.
Merb TIL for centuries there was a class of slave-soldier called the Mamluks. They were so powerful, free men would sell themselves into slavery hoping to join them. Also, they were wiped out in a purge not unlike the Jedi.
8e98K TIL that in 2003, a senior driver caused a devastating car crash in Santa Monica, CA. The 86-year-old accidentally rammed through a crowded farmers' market, killing 10 and injuring 70. The city lost at least $21 million settling resulting lawsuits.