› added 11 months ago

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TIL that Alcatraz, the famous high-security SF jail, was once a crucial military outpost in the Gold Rush years

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Yp1bP TIL, the producers of the H.R.Pufnstuf kid's television show successfully sued McDonald's for copyright infringement due to their McDonaldland commercial series. After several years in appeals, they won a million-dollar settlement.
jNBvM TIL That in chess, white is slightly more likely to win than black in competitive matches. White wins 52% to 56% of the time compared to black.
QJY46 TIL there are only about 25 blimps left in the world.
jNR7R TIL that similar to the fact that the American South may referred to as "The Bible Belt", or the Great Lakes Region is referred to as "The Rust Belt", the Mormon Corridor (in the Midwest of the US)is nicknamed "The Jello Belt" because they consume twice the amount of Jello as the average American.
6EorX TIL in 1896 two locomotives were deliberately crashed together as a promotional event for the railroad in Crush, Texas. Over 40K people attended. Engineers had assured the organizers that it would be safe, but when both boilers exploded on impact two spectators were killed and several more injured.