› added 11 years ago

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TIL in 1988 Philly gangster Jackie DiNorscio, in the longest criminal trial in U.S. history, fired his lawyer, defended himself and through charm, wit and no legal experience, convinced a jury to acquit him and 19 other defendants of charges of loansharking, extortion, trafficking, arson and murder

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oRvX8 TIL Apple created a custom mouse colloquially nicknamed 'the hockey puck', that lasted for only two years, 1998-2000, before it was discontinued in favor of a more traditional shape. It is considered one of Apple's more notorious flops.
9YVd6 TIL "Blocks found with dates from all seasons in the Egyptian calendar suggest the pyramids were built year-round and not just when the Nile was in flood."
1aBXO TIL about the Delaware Aqueduct. It is a 70 year old, 80 mile long man made aqueduct that connects NYC to clean water. It has been leaking since the '90s and they are having a hard time fixing it because the only thing keeping it from collapsing is positive pressure from the water.
4bK5 TIL there is an island so densley populated with snakes the Brazilian Navy had it quarantined and a biologist said when on the island “you are never more than 3 feet from death.” That island is called Snake Island.
gGw4 TIL that in 2017, a dairy company in Maine lost a lawsuit about overtime pay due to the absence of the Oxford comma.