› added 11 months ago

46

TIL that Abebe Bikila won the 1960 Olympic marathon barefoot after he couldn’t find comfortable shoes, setting a world record and taking home the gold.

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AbQn TIL The song The Overload by Talking Heads was inspired by Joy Division. However, none of the members of Talking Heads had heard Joy Division’s music before the song was written or recorded, and it was instead inspired by what they imagined Joy Division sounded like, according to the music press.
OoeP7 TIL the initial survivors of the Flight 123 crash died from delay in the rescue due to nearby American forces being told to stand down and the rescue party waiting until the next morning to begin the search
OG0o1 TIL that before password protection was common, IBM computers had a physical key lock. The function of the locks ranged from preventing keyboard input, locking the power switch in the "off" position, and preventing the computer case from being opened.
wLEMW TIL the U-shaped toilet seats found in public restrooms were originally designed "to give ladies plenty of room to wipe without having to stand up or touch the seat directly."
YpJVA TIL that elephants are so complex they are able to mourn, cry, have mental breakdowns, play the drums, paint, mimic humans’ speech and show basic arithmetic skills.