› added 11 years ago

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TIL - The first webcam watched a coffee pot. It allowed researchers at Cambridge to monitor the coffee situation without leaving their desks.

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awVxL TIL a seed that was found in 32,000 year old permafrost germinated
8aPWK TIL Dionysius the Elder, Greek ruler of ancient Syracuse ran up massive debts; so Dionysius ordered all citizens (under penalty of death) to turn in all their money (drachmas) Once all the drachmas were collected he simply re-stamped each one drachma coin as two drachmas and paid his debt
RkR6 TIL Ben Sliney gave the SCATANA order on 9/11 that grounded all 4,200~ planes in US airspace. It was his first day on the job, and the first time in history the order had been used.
rLBy TIL an NYC woman found a plea for help in her Saks 5th Ave shopping bag written by the African teacher who made it in prison in China. A reporter tracked him down. “Maybe this bag could go somewhere and they find this letter and they can let my family know, or anybody, that I am in prison,” he said.
J1wQl TIL that among the thousands of fans who were in attendance for the Beatles iconic Shea Stadium Concert were Linda Eastman and Barbara Bach. Linda would later marry Paul McCartney in 1969, and Barbara would go on to marry Ringo Starr in 1981.