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TIL that a farmer called Almon Strowger invented automatic telephone switching because he didn't trust his local telephone operator. She was the wife of his competition and Strowger suspected that she was diverting requests for his services to her husband’s business instead.

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ZknR TIL that Ada Lovelace, a female English mathematician and writer, wrote an algorithm in the mid 1800s designed to be carried out by a machine. As a result, she is often regarded as the first computer programmer.
gMr5W TIL Quebec passed a law barring French speaking students from attending English-based primary and secondary schools. This was done to combat the loss of Canadian French speakers. The language has been on the decline in Canada.
vPpbr TIL about the National Weather Service bulletin for the New Orleans region of 10:11 a.m., August 28, 2005, a particularly dire warning of the devastation that Hurricane Katrina could bring. It included the warning, "PERSONS EXPOSED TO THE WINDS WILL FACE CERTAIN DEATH IF STRUCK."
pY1nO TIL Hattie McDaniel, the first African-American to win an Academy Award (Gone with the Wind, 1939), was not allowed to attend the film’s premiere in Atlanta, had to sit at a segregated table at the Oscars, and was denied her final request to be buried at Hollywood Cemetery when she died in 1952.
0wKgL TIL in italy during the 16th century music was engraved on knives so guests could sing together after they ate. Each side of the blade has musical notations and each knife represents one part for a singer. So, a complete set of knives actually come together to create a harmonious chorus.