› added 5 years ago

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TIL of a secret society called Cicada 3301, that has on six occasions posted puzzles and alternate reality games (some lasting years) in an attempt to recruit code breakers from the public.

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DB5g TIL that it was Plato who suggested that telling a lie was OK as long as it was for the good of the people. He called it the noble lie.
4Y1J TIL the origin of the word “decimate” as we use it today came from the Roman military practice of punishing groups of soldiers by executing every 10th man
OkoL TIL that in a US military exercise from 1978 in which jet fighters were pitted against helicopters, helicopters won 5 to 1.
e0876 TIL ESPN launched a sport centered phone called "Mobile ESPN" in 2005 which failed miserably. Steve Jobs called it, "The dumbest fucking idea I have ever heard." It cost $300 for the phone itself, and between $65 and $225 per month for content.
vpxx TIL: Men are more likely to be overweight than women, but women are more likely to be severely obese than men.