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TIL that in 1963, the song “Ue o Muite Aruko” became the first Japanese-language song to top the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. The song was written to express frustration at American military bases being allowed to remain in Japan.

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4kpyg TIL Until 1980, users of chess computers had to move the computer’s pieces by hand. The 1982 Novag Robot Adversary used a robotic arm to move pieces but only 2500 units were produced due to high failure rates
D165V TIL "Hoisted by your own petard" refers to someone being blown up whole trying to plant an iron bell-shaped bomb used to dedtroy gates in the 16th and 17th centuries. I always assumed a petard was a kind of coat...
gl9D TIL When Billy Idol’s cover of Tommy James and the Shondells’ song “Mony Mony” reached #1 on the charts in 1987, it dethroned Tiffany’s “I Think We’re Alone Now”, which was also a cover of a Tommy James and the Shondells song.
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