› added 9 months ago

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TIL that before telephones, fire alarm boxes were located at street corners. To prevent false alarms or pranks, some boxes were designed with handcuffs to attach the alarm-puller to the box, and only the firemen had a key to release them

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4kAO6 TIL Song titles can't be copyrighted. You can legally title a song "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Stairway to Heaven", "Smells Like Teen Spirit" or any other already used song title.
5YpBk TIL that the creators of Superman were inspired by the story of the golem, a Jewish tale about a superhuman protector made of clay created to protect the Jews of Prague from the pogroms
Gdp1 TIL that Scientology head David Miscavige is 5'1" tall (1.55m), which makes him even shorter than Tom Cruise.
7r7Wb TIL a 1997 study found that the action of drinking is more thirst quenching than being rehydrated through a nasogastric tube. This is because the physical sensation of drinking tells the brain that you are rehydrating.
oBaoA TIL of Shoichi Yokoi, a sergeant in the Japanese Army during WW2. He went into hiding after the Battle of Guam, living in the jungle with several others for 28 years, though he was alone for the remaining 8 years. After his capture he returned to Japan, married and became a popular TV personality.