› added 6 months ago

26

TIL: A site manager's failed attempt to free a stuck flatbed truck resulted in it rolling off a cliff, blocking a railway tunnel just as an express train was approaching, leading to a crash that killed 49 people.

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

XE5k8 TIL Height strips on convenience store doors were first used to help witnesses judge the height of a robber, but today they are used as psychological deterrents.
JdNm TIL John DeLorean, best known for developing the DeLorean DMC-12, also developed the Pontiac GTO, Firebird, Grand Prix, and Chevy Vega. He was arrested for drug trafficking in 1982 trying to raise money for his failing company and successfully defended himself proving entrapment by federal agents.
6EEdw TIL the iconic 1930s Hollywood Restaurant, The Brown Derby, served a salad after midnight using their leftover ingredients. When it became the most popular item on the menu they named it after the owner, Robert Cobb.
oBJd8 TIL It took Chinese authorities 7 minutes to locate and apprehend a BBC reporter using a network of CCTV camera and facial recognition technology
RZdl TIL the satire show Have I Got News For You once published about a British politician: “Given Mr Allason’s fondness for pursuing libel actions, there are also excellent legal reasons for not referring to him as a conniving little shit.” He promptly sued and lost.