› added 12 years ago

99

TIL That a Y2K bug caused incorrect Down sydrome test results being sent to pregnant mothers, resulting in two abortions.

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NXYkE TIL until the 1980’s, US television stations would sign off at the end of the broadcasting day, and before they cut to static for the rest of the night, they would often play short clips of American landmarks and US military imagery in a patriotic montage accompanied by the star spangled banner.
rRvDo TIL While the words concrete and cement are often used interchangeably, cement is actually a bonding agent added to concrete, and they are not the same thing.
KYZba TIL about Starfish Prime - a 1.4 Megaton nuke detonated 250 miles above the pacific ocean in 1962. The explosion was visible in Hawaii, and disrupted communications in Honolulu 900 Miles away. It also created its own radiation belts, and disabled 9 out of the world's 24 satelites at the time
AD99l TIL Abraham Lincoln had an incredibly high-pitched voice that was described as shrill, sharp, and unpleasant.
VMMnk TIL the extension ladder was invented by 16 year old Henry Quackenbush who later went on to invent the modern nutcracker.