› added 10 months ago

37

TIL about The Cave Without a Name near San Antonio, TX . In 1940 there was a state-wide contest to name the cave and the winner was a young boy who said that the cave "was too beautiful to have a name". He received the $50 cash prize award. The Cave Without A Name is a National Natural Landmark.

b9P0a TIL Fans of Michael Jackson's Thriller album believed that the UPC barcode on the album was Jackson's phone number. Because of this, a woman named Barbara Brown in Youngstown, Ohio, received upwards of 12 calls a day after Jackson won eight Grammy awards. Many believe the rumor was spread by MTV.
KOlVB TIL Genghis Khan maintained a large empire owing to a excellent postal system, where messages were transmitted at a rate of 300 km per day using a network of horse messengers, with every horse station located 40 km apart, similar to a modern day bicycle sharing system.
69NoY TIL that Pope Valentine (827AD) became Pope of the Roman Catholic Church before he had even been ordained as a priest.
N7DN8 TIL that famed children’s author and cartoonist Shel Silverstein was also a successful country music songwriter. Among his credits was Johnny Cash’s “A Boy Named Sue,” which went on to win the Grammy for Best Country Song.
JYj0l TIL that Christmas used to be illegal in Massachusetts. After 1681, Christmas was no longer a crime, but was completely taboo. Anyone caught making merry or singing carols was prosecuted for disturbing the peace. It remained taboo until 1870, when the federal government made it a national holiday.