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TIL television broadcasters sped up tapes of I Love Lucy reruns in the 1970s while using a special hardware effects unit to alter the actors' voices to their normal pitch. This effectively made more space (around 3 minutes) to run advertisements, generating more revenue for the stations.

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QNMVM TIL The night before Emperor Hirohito's surrender broadcast army officers launched a coup. The officers occupied the Imperial Palace trying to destroy the Emporer's surrender record and assassinate officials. The plan failed when the record was smuggled out and the military didn't support the coup.
0dpNp TIL: Black Herons turn their wings into an umbrella to “canopy feed”. The umbrella provides shade, which draws fish to the surface where they can be seen and caught more easily.
v1edr TIL In the Netherlands sex is seen as a human right, disabled citizens can get grants for legal prostitutes up to 12 times a year. Reports show this has significantly reduced depression and suicide rates among the disabled, many of whom have previously never had the chance to have sex before.
QJ0GE TIL a major tobacco company was sued for allegedly using company vans in the 1960s to make trips to housing projects where free Newport cigarettes were given to children. A jury ruled against the tobacco company, which was ordered to pay over $35 million in damages.
xMBk TIL that Scully from the X-Files contributed to an increase in women pursuing careers in science, medicine, and law enforcement, which became known as “The Scully Effect.”