› added 1 year ago

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TIL that the first clear aerial image of a city was taken on October 13, 1860 by James Wallace Black. It was shot from a hot-air balloon at 1,200 feet and was called 'Boston, as the Eagle and the Wild Goose See It'.

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p8MeN TIL: Popup headlights were actually invented in the '30s. They came back in the 80's when auto manufacture needed a way to skirt minimum headlight height safety laws, and fell back out of fashion again due to modern regulations concerning headlights being on movable body work.
AdRo TIL the day after September 11th, the British Field Band played the American National Anthem out of respect during the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace
GYvW4 TIL Italian police officers posed as "pizza delivery boys" in order to arrest mafia boss Roberto Manganiello of Naples’ notorious Camorra mafia, listed as “one of Italy’s 100 most dangerous criminals” as he watched football in his apartment. He offered no resistance to the fake "delivery boys."
mDdO TIL pikas (real-life pikachus) are adorable mammals from the mountains of the American West. They can overheat in temperatures as low as 75 degrees F, so they make specialized dens to stay cool even when 900 degree F fires roar just a few feet away.
kJGL7 TIL the CIA struggled to recruit candidates who had visible tattoos because such markings made agents easier to identify. This rule has been relaxed, but it once limited their ability to hire otherwise qualified applicants.