› added 8 years ago

323

TIL in the 1940s, AT&T sued Harry Tuttle for inventing the Hush-A-Phone—a device that silenced phones from eavesdroppers. AT&T argued the “device hadn’t been installed by their company” and the FCC voted in AT&T’s favor, but Tuttle continued to fight the case in open court and eventually won.

Read more atlasobscura.com

via reddit.com

woY5o TIL during ww2 acclaimed tv Chef Julia Child was on the team that invented shark repellent to keep sharks away from sea mines intended for German U- Boats. This marked Child's first foray into the world of cooking.
rRLmx TIL that Captain Gilberto Araujo da Silva was one of only 11 survivors of an airliner crash in 1973. In 1979, while flying the same type of plane for the same airline, his flight disappeared and was never found.
wova1 TIL the Chicxulub crater got its name "to give the academics and NASA naysayers a challenging time pronouncing it" after its existence had been dismissed for years
rpZW TIL a member of the Wu Tang Clan, Ol Dirty Bastard witnessed a car accident. He and a friend ran to the scene and helped lift a Ford Mustang—rescuing a 4 year old girl from the wreckage. Using a false name, he visited the girl in the hospital frequently until he was spotted by members of the media.
r8kM TIL that in September 2016, ‘Tube Chat’ badges were offered to passengers on the London Underground. Wearing one of these badges would indicate to other commuters that you are happy to have a conversation. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the concept was not well-received.