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TIL In 1976, Ray Kurzweil unveiled the first reading machine for the blind, using optical character recognition and text-to-speech technology. After hearing about it on The Today Show, Stevie Wonder became its first user and a lifelong supporter.

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ADpAw TIL that in the Great Depression, there was a fleet of "book women" who delivered books, regardless of weather, to rural communities in Appalachia. These women would ride 100-120 miles every week on horseback, traversing dangerous terrain, to ensure that their readers received their books on time.
4X0Dw TIL BerkShares are an alt-currency in the United States designed and issued for the Berkshire region of Massachusetts with the purpose of fostering local economic growth. Residents purchase them at 95 cents (USD) per BerkShare and around 400 businesses in the area accept them.
YPQB TIL Lt James Launders is the only submarine commander in history to have engaged and destroyed an enemy submarine during time of war using only his own un-aided vessel while both ships were fully submerged
kJoXm TIL of Edward Leedskalnin, a man with fourth grade education, who solely built the Coral Castle with over 1,100 tons of coral rock, using only hand tools. When asked how, his reply was that he understood the laws of weight and leverage. Today, it is a museum open to the public.
R5a TIL that Ormer Locklear, a WW1 pilot, got out of his plane, diagnosed the problem, and repaired it all while still flying the plane and then did numerous times after that.