› added 7 years ago

313

TIL the SR-71 BlackBird traveled from New York to London in under 2 hours

Read more wvi.com

via ift.tt

wLEA1 TIL that when dashboard lights were first used in cars they were called "idiot lights" because drivers were frustrated by the warning lights used in place of gauges, making it more difficult to detect issues early since they only activated after one occurred.
0wJdR TIL the pocket calculator, patented in 1967, was one of the earliest uses of rechargable batteries. One of the creators, Jerry Merryman, saw it not just as a pocket calculator, but as an "electionic revolution," bringing buttons, thermal printing, and rechargable batteries to the forefront.
R5WN1 TIL: The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) was founded by Henry Bergh in 1866, making it the first animal welfare organization in North America. Bergh was inspired to create the ASPCA after witnessing the mistreatment of carriage horses in New York City.
Zmvv TIL that Gordon Ramsay challenged James May from Top Gear to eat three delicacies as a “test of a man.” The third delicacy was rotten shark, which Ramsay spat out, while May finished and responded, “You disappoint me, Ramsay.”
BV1D TIL of Cunningham’s Law: the idea that “the best way to get the right answer on the Internet is not to ask a question, it’s to post the wrong answer.”