› added 10 years ago

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TIL there was a dial-up online gaming service for Sega Saturn that you accessed through a 28.8 modem cartridge that plugged into a phone line. There were no servers; to play against someone, your Sega called their Sega.

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AVmx TIL that in September 1950, the US Navy sprayed San Francisco with “harmless” bacteria to simulate a biological attack. The not-so-harmless bacteria caused a spike in a rare UTI, killing one man. A lawsuit against the government was rejected on the grounds that the government held legal immunity.
BrvQx TIL that the reason why most birds sleep on one leg is that they have no plumage there. They therefore lift a leg up to keep it warm and thus limit heat exchange while maintaining the possibility of flying away quickly in case of danger.
XEZoX TIL that South Korea created a secret military unit to assassinate Kim Il-sung. When the units mission was cancelled they killed their handlers, staged a mutiny and were all either killed or commited suicide.
6MbW TIL of the “Mayonnaise Man.” A 25 year old Japanese man was arrested after squirting mayo on unsuspecting victims, 6 that authorities are aware of. When caught he said, “I’ve made no mistake.”
nWa5o TIL that Germany's first post WWII Chancellor, Konrad Adenauer, invented among other things a soy sausage during WWI