› added 2 years ago

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TIL: People paid to have their mail delivered to them until March 3rd, 1863 when the US Congress established free mail delivery to cities. New York City delivered residential mail 4 times daily until 1940. NYC reduced residential mail delivery to once daily (due to high costs) in 1950.

WkWN4 TIL that the truck flipping scene/stunt in The Dark Knight didn't use any CGI at all, meaning it was a practical stunt. Nolan used TNT and a piston on the rear base of the 18-wheeler in order to make it flip the way it did in the film. It worked successfully.
VMYgk TIL that in most places in Switzerland, they won’t collect trash that’s not in special bags that are sold with a built-in fee. Recycling, however, is cheap or free. As a result, Switzerland recycles 54% of solid municipal waste (double the European average) and 76% of recyclable items
JZE4 TIL that Pinball was considered gambling and banned between the 1940s to 1976. It ended when enthusiast Roger Sharpe played it before a committee and called out precisely what he was going to shoot for, and then did so. The ban was lifted since he had proven it was a game of skill, not chance.
plXe TIL Kim Kardashian was paid to post a selfie on Instagram and Twitter advertising a pharmaceutical product. Sent to 42 million followers on Instagram and 32 million on Twitter, this illegal advertisement did not contain any risk information or language specifying that it was a paid endorsement.
xVayb TIL that back in 1984, religious fanatics in Iran sent children marching over minefields to clear them. They got plastic keys that would open the gates of heaven for them. Later, they also gave them blankets so corpse parts wouldn't be blown everywhere.