› added 6 years ago

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TIL that the US may have adopted the metric system if pirates hadn't kidnapped Joseph Dombey, the French scientist sent to help Thomas Jefferson persuade Congress to adopt the system.

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via reddit.com

jNPMX TIL that Steven Spielberg wanted to direct a James Bond film but was turned down by Eon Productions. When he told this to George Lucas, Lucas said he had a film that was just like it but even better. The story was about an archaeologist named Indiana.
Z6go TIL in 2009 a pigeon named Winston raced Telkom, South Africa’s largest ISP, to see who could deliver 4GB of data to a location 60 miles away the fastest. By the time Winston arrived with the 4GB flash drive, Telkom had transmitted only 4% of the data.
BBlD TIL Most 4-legged animals can sprint faster than humans, but when it comes to long- distance running, humans can outrun almost any animal because we sweat to stay cool. On a hot day, a human could outrun a horse in a 26.2-mile marathon.
neO9B TIL "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me" by U2 was nominated for both a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song as well as a Golden Raspberry Award for the Worst Original Song but lost both to "Colors of the Wind" from Pocahontas, and "Walk Into the Wind" from Showgirls, respectively.
Z87vY TIL the person who is blind or visually impaired listens to the flow of traffic, determines when it is safe to cross, and then signals the dog to go forward. However, if a car is coming, the dog is taught to refuse to obey the command.