› added 4 years ago

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TIL Psychologist B.F. Skinner tried to train pigeons to serve as guides for bombing runs in WWII. After canceling the project, he successfully taught the pigeons to play ping pong instead.

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DQEaY TIL that when England held its first lottery in 1567 everyone who bought a ticket got immunity from one arrest as long as it was not piracy, murder, felonies, or treason. Prizes for winning the lottery were £5,000 in cash, but also goods like plate, tapestries and “good linen cloth.”
mWkO TIL that during filming of “Super Mario Bros.” Bob Haskins (Mario) and John Leguizamo (Luigi) were so unhappy working on what they knew to be a bad movie that they would often get drunk to go through with shooting scenes.
Y7PWZ TIL the term "Fremen Mirage" coined by Dr Bret Devereaux (referencing the Fremen of the Dune series) debunking the timeless fallacy of how harsh conditions and brutal lifestyles produce people superior to less harsh but more settled societies, with the former inevitably conquering the latter.
W7NWX TIL 3M was originally a mining company called Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company
epD9L TIL TV stations used to shut down for the night