› added 4 years ago

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TIL during WWII the British planned to build a giant aircraft carrier out of ice (actually a wood pulp/ice mix) to protect the convoys in the Atlantic from German U boats. The project ended owing to rising costs and the development of longer-range aircraft that closed the gap in air coverage.

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7Rmp TIL in the UK, there are road cameras that photograph cars. From the photos’ time stamp data, the average speed of any given car between two points can be calculated. Using this data, motorists can be ticketed if their average velocity exceeds the speed limit.
bwZ TIL that in 1995 St. Jude’s Hospital got an anonymous letter containing the $1mil Monopoly piece from the McDonalds promotion game. It was mailed by the Chief of Security, at the company that organized the promotion, after major fraud was uncovered within the company.
yVoPe TIL about "Bomb" a Canadian Sherman M4A2 tank that landed on Juno Beach on D Day and fought across Europe every day until the the words "Unload, clear guns, the war is over" came over the radio, indicating the end of the war. 4000km travelled, never missed a day of combat.
l760A TIL the obese man smoking a cigarette on the cover of Fatboy Slim's You've Come a Long Way Baby has yet to be identified.
LWZP TIL Vegas Casinos wouldn’t allow Sammy Davis Jr to stay in their hotels, didn’t provide him a dressing room, and required him to wait outside by the pool between acts.