› added 7 years ago

337

TIL back when the NY subways used tokens, criminals would jam the slot and then suck out the token with their mouths. To discourage this, subway workers would put hot chili powder in the slots.

MeVp7 TIL The mouses cursor is tilted because in the early days it was first a vertical arrow pointing up, but it was difficult to see a vertical line on a low res screen, so it was tilted to make it easier to find
oRwpo TIL that the 126 years old Mullaperiyar Dam in India, is considered one of the most dangerous dams in the world, threatening the lives of more than 3.5 million people due to its age, design, and seismic location. People are petitioning for its removal due to catastrophic failure risks.
jJYR TIL Former French President, Félix Faure, died at age 59 from a massive stroke while making love to his mistress. French newspapers and political leaders spread rumors of his death including that his “stiff hands were entangled in her hair” and that he had to be surgically separated from her.
XEv1E TIL that the word Luddite comes from the radical 19th century workers who destroyed textile machinery as a form of protest. Over time, the term has come to mean one opposed to industrialisation, automation, computerisation, or new technologies in general.
mx7op TIL the best-selling living author, Danielle Steel, has received "a resounding lack of critical acclaim" for her 179 books. In her romance novels, she draws from her experiences of having been married 5 times to financiers, ex-convicts, and a vintner, and having 9 children.