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TIL Barcodes were first invented to track railroad cars traveling across the country in the 1960s. A colored barcode was attached to steel plates on the side of train cars and scanned as they entered and exited railroad facilities.

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Jr4Q TIL in 1916 German agents blew up a munitions depot in New Jersey. An explosion so large that could be compared to a 5.5 Richter scale earthquake. $100K in damage was done to the Statue of Liberty and people as far away as Maryland were woken up by what they thought was an earthquake.
0wNZL TIL it's cheaper to adopt a black baby than other types of children. Adopting biracial, Latino, Asian or Caucasian children typically has a longer waiting list than for black children. The agencies cut the cost of adopting black children as a means of creating incentive.
ZpjDY TIL that upon its 1977 release, Star Wars won six Oscars, three Grammys, and two BAFTA awards, and that Time magazine also named it the "Movie of the Year"
marx TIL Elvis’ manager sold “I Hate Elvis” badges to make money from those who otherwise wouldn’t have parted with their cash for Elvis merchandise.
opk8 TIL that some of the most spectacular and unspoiled Roman ruins are located in Libya