› added 8 years ago

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TIL that in 1985, Edward Johnson programmed his computer to call Jerry Falwell’s toll-free number every 30 seconds and then hang up. In total, he charged over $500,000 in phone bills to Falwell’s organization.

rPYe TIL of “aerial reforestation” - a process whereby conical canisters which contain a seedling packed in soil and nutrients are dropped from a plane. They could drop as many as 100,000 saplings in a single flight. The system could plant as many as a million trees in one day.
VN08 TIL that no soda company can emulate the taste of Coke because Coca-Cola is the only company in the U.S allowed to use imported coca leaves (where cocaine comes from) in their recipe. A partner company extracts the cocaine from the leaves whereupon they are shipped to Coca Cola.
R7Q6 TIL a episode of the children’s show Postcards from Buster titled Sugar Time was banned by some (but not all) affiliates because of children with gay parents appearing. This caused the loss of government funding and eventually cancellation of the series.
LQOE9 TIL about Bactrian camels, a species native to the steppes of Central Asia. They can withstand temperatures ranging from -30 to +50 Celsius! Their habitat includes arid desert, stony plains, and sand dunes.
awmmM TIL: There's a skyscraper with a Ferris wheel built in. The first-of-its-kind ride is mounted over 300 feet above street level. Plans for the project fell through and the building currently stands empty.