› added 9 years ago

134

TIL in 1986, the United Way released 1.5 million balloons into the Cleveland sky to raise money for charity. The balloons were so thick that Coast Guard helicopters couldn’t reach an overtuned boat, resulting in the death of two fishermen.

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

QxGe TIL Benjamin Franklin turned someone who hated him into a fan by only writing him a letter asking for a favor - Now called the Benjamin Franklin Effect
O6KL TIL the famous Swedish Ice Hotel, built every year out of giant chunks of ice from the Torne River, is now required by the Boverket National Housing Board to include fire alarms, despite being made entirely out of frozen water
vwo8 TIL Verizon developed a special knife that uses pressurized air to slice through lawns so fiber optic lines can be buried. The tool cuts through grass but does not break sprinkler pipes and gas lines.
gMR6W TIL that the GEICO gecko's name is Martin (after the company's ad agency)
rNG7w TIL of the Olympic Salute. Formerly a tradition at the events, it consisted of the right arm being raised at an angle. At the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, many interpreted athletes doing the salute as supporting the Nazi government due to its similarity to the Nazi salute. It was retired after WWII.