› added 5 years ago

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TIL scientists have found a way to make a mini dam. They can harvest the mechanical energy from the falling rain, and they convert it into electrical energy.

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p8ADA TIL that San Francisco had an outbreak of BUBONIC PLAGUE in 1900–1904 that killed 119. While city officials acted quickly to contain it, California Gov. Henry Gage covered it up to protect the powerful railroads and other businesses. Some newspapers helped by defaming the city health commissioner.
9YjRm TIL In 1944, a crossword writer for The Daily Telegraph caused alarm at MI-5 by accidentally publishing information on the impending D-Day landings. "Utah", "Omaha", "Overlord" and other codewords all appeared in his work a month before the invasion. It turned out to be entirely harmless chance.
LAPv TIL that during the 1977 New York blackout, a number of looters stole DJ equipment from electronics stores and as a result, the hip hop genre, barely known outside of the Bronx at the time, grew at an astounding rate from 1977 onward.
89nV TIL that in 1977 McDonalds had to pay the creators of H.R. Pufnstuf more than $1,000,000 for essentially ripping off the TV show when the restaurant created its McDonaldland characters (Mayor McCheese, Big Mac, Hamburglar etc…)
OBd6 TIL that there is a mutation in male fruit flies that make them homosexual