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1583

TIL that in 1942 a Finnish sound engineer secretly recorded 11 minutes of a conversation between Adolf Hitler and Finnish Defence Chief Gustaf Mannerheim. It is the only known recording of Adolf Hitler’s normal unaltered speaking voice.

VM5QG TIL One reason the Lockheed F-117 and the HB1001 look like retro low-poly computer models is because they literally are. In 1974 when Denys Overholser leveraged 60s Soviet algorithms to calculate radar reflection, computers weren't powerful enough to reliably perform this function on curved surfaces
WkWKN TIL that in 1972, two grad students at MIT invented Proton-Enhanced Nuclear Induction Spectroscopy, a technique for transferring spin orientation from one atomic nucleus to another. Yes, they chose this name specifically for the acronym.
MokV TIL President Kennedy’s sister was forced to undergo a lobotomy, while conscious under the effect of mild tranquilizers, in an attempt to cure her “rebellious” behavior.
QBkM TIL chocolate magnate Milton Hershey launched a ‘Great Building Campaign’ during the Great Depression with the aim of employing more people. When he was told that a steam shovel being used on a project did the work of 40 men, he instructed his foreman: “Take them off. Hire 40 men.”
8a5bb TIL Ikea's friendly "touch and try" showrooms have worked too well in China. Customers napped on sofas and beds and senior groups have taken over the food court without ordering anything. The Ikea stores in China tried a "no-napping policy" but people ignored it and still napped in the store.