› added 1 year ago

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TIL that the .com TLD was originally operared by the US Department of Defense, and still falls under US Jurisdiction.

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1aPMd TIL the phrase "in the limelight" which refers to being the focus of attention comes from a 19th century device. Calcium oxide known as quicklime is heated in an intensely hot flame until it glows brightly. First as a surveying tool, it allowed for more accurate measurements.
rRYO1 TIL AT&T only put the * and # buttons on the phone keypad because they had extra space, and they figured maybe someone someday will find some use for them.
D1B6j TIL NYC’s first public WiFi kiosks had to shut off browser access because so many people were using them to watch porn.
wLmYY TIL The international parking sign was first designed for the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam
yQwba TIL that the manual alphabet for sign language was created by a Spanish Benedictine monk named Pedro Ponce de León in the 16th century as a pushback against the ‘Deaf are dumb’ prejudice that began during the Renaissance