› added 12 years ago

105

TIL that Boston has fewer people today than it did in 1910.

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MeB6A TIL about Andy the goose who was born in Hastings, Nebraska with no feet. A local inventor named Gene Fleming heard of this and fitted Andy with specially made Nike baby shoes. Andy gained fame as a role model for disabled children and Nike provided him with a lifetime supply of shoes.
V9x4 TIL that Alan Turing, the man who broke the enigma code during WWII, is estimated to have shortened the war by over two years, and to have saved over 14 million lives. He was later charged for his homosexuality and was forced to undergo chemical castration.
16wKd TIL of "Fruits of Philosophy" a 1832 book describing methods of contraceptions. Writing about an 'obscene' topic the author, physician Charles Knowlton, was prosecuted and jailed. With the book's sensetive topic it was published as a measly 3 by 2.5 inches to make it easy for women to hide
9wNdm TIL in 2013 a team of snipers destroyed 17 electrical transformers at the Metcalf Transmission Substation in CA, described as a 'professional job' using 'military-style weapons.' Fiber optic cables were cut prior to the attack and no suspects have ever been publicly identified.
PNDE TIL the Lifeline pendants, from the “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up” commercials, had to be redesigned after they killed several people.