› added 8 years ago

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TIL that CVS took a $2 billion hit to annual sales when it quit carrying tobacco.

Read more money.cnn.com

via reddit.com

m1Xx TIL that the first Pong machine was constructed with a $75 Hitachi TV, and placed in a bar. Several days later, it broke down because the quarter bin had over-flowed and jammed up the mechanics.
eAgk TIL that the WWII British code breakers had discovered the preparations for the German invasion of the USSR, but, although this information was passed to the Soviet government, Stalin refused to believe it.
P1W5n TIL for the most part, English witches were hanged while French ones were burned. This posed a riddle for the Channel island of Guernsey when three witches turned up there in 1617. Ultimately, they were hanged according to British law, then burned according to French 🤯
6EYl8 TIL one of Edgar Allan Poe’s rivals wrote a scathing obituary about him in order to posthumously destroy him. However, his attempt failed and sales from Poe’s works skyrocketed.
vPNrL TIL Amazon was initially called "Cadabra" (from "Abracadabra") when Jeff Bezzos started the company. He later changed it because people misheard it as "Cadaver."