› added 11 months ago

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TIL that Beluga Whales can mimic the pattern of human speech. One captive beluga, after overhearing divers using an underwater communication system, caused one of the divers to surface by imitating their order to get out of the water.

VaOp TIL that for 10 years after WWII, there was a fourth network on American broadcast television called The DuMont Television Network. The network folded in 1956, and today it has been all but forgotten because most of its archives were destroyed.
a8eQy TIL that when Radio Shack in 1977 planned its first personal computer, the $599 TRS-80, it built 3,500 units. The company had never sold that many of anything at that price, and planned to use the computer for inventory in its 3,500 stores if it failed. More than 200,000 were sold by 1980.
bVDa TIL that when Anglerfish mate, they melt into each other and share their bodies forever. If a male finds a female, he latches on and fuses to her, losing his internal organs until they share a bloodstream. He lives the rest of his days like this, releasing sperm when she releases eggs.
X00vE TIL: Aggstein Castle, in Austria, was once used as a base for robber barons/pirates to steal cargo from ships, traveling the Danube River
v1dgK TIL fuel tankers are pretty sophisticated. Baffles in the tank to evenly dissipate the force of liquid moving when the truck is accelerating or braking. Without baffles, the liquid keeps moving forward to surge and push against the front wall of the tank, increasing risk of rollover.