› added 8 months ago

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TIL that many early phone lines were "party lines" that anyone who picked up the phone could listen in on; customers had to pay an extra monthly fee to upgrade to a private line.

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ANxga TIL as Collector of the New York Customs House, Chester A Arthur earned more than the president by receiving a percentage of fines through the old moiety system.
YnyP TIL that a 13 year old was traded to U.S. forces for $10 and then held at Guantanamo Bay for over a year.
eyDg TIL that four teenage girls lied to have an innocent man convicted of murdering a child. They never apologised, claiming they did it “for a laugh”.
LQLW0 TIL There is an actual Rhode Island in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. Despite being the state's namesake and the island's "original" name, no one calls it that, and the locals have colloquially renamed it to Aquidneck Island.
yQJke TIL Financial crisises correlate with Solar activity cycles