› added 7 years ago

261

TIL 1% of all electricity consumed in the USA is used in the growing of marijuana

Read more motherboard.vice.com

via ift.tt

ONYa TIL 1983 blockbuster WarGames (Matthew Broderick) caused President Reagan to ask national security officials if this type of “hacking” was possible; Gen. Vessey replied “The problem is much worse than you think.” This influenced national security policy, ARPAnet, & ultimately the modern Internet
JYyYV TIL that the USA dropped thousands of food packages over Afghanistan as a way of trying to earn the goodwill of the local population. Unfortunately they were printed in languages the average Afghan couldn't read, and were the exact color as cluster munitions dropped during the same operation.
xV1Vb TIL that the Wensleydale Cheese Company came close to shutting down in 1990, and was only saved when Wallace, from “Wallace and Gromit,” named it his favorite brand. The show’s creator, Nick Park, didn’t even know of the company’s struggles, but after joining forces, cheese sales improved rapidly.
0dvLA TIL: Famine is not a natural disaster — it's primarily man-made.
5Yx18 TIL Jackie Kennedy's pink suit worn when her husband, John F. Kennedy, was assassinated is locked away in the National Archives until at least 2103.