/f/todayilearned
TIL that over 5,000 dead fish, crabs, and other sea creatures were embedded in the ice skating rink at Space World in Japan. Some were arranged to spell "HELLO". Visitors called it a waste of life, so a memorial service was held and the fish repurposed as fertilizer.
cnbc.comSubmitted by Decapod73 t3_ysg1b7
TIL that the reason why Kinder Surprise eggs are illegal in the U.S. is because in 1937, over 100 people died due to highly toxic diethylene glycol in a new pharmacy drug. In response, the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act was passed, illegalizing food products that contain something inedible.
bitoftrivia.comSubmitted by FuriouSherman t3_yrydpa
TIL while orbiting the moon aboard Apollo 11, Mission Control detected a problem with the environmental control system and told astronaut Michael Collins to implement Environmental Control System Malfunction Procedure 17. Instead he just flicked the switch off and on. It fixed the problem.
aerotechnews.comSubmitted by sonofabutch t3_yruw3b
TIL in 1989, many major airlines showed edited versions of the film Rain Man, omitting a scene involving a character's refusal to fly (while mentioning several prominent airliner crashes). However, the scene was shown intact on Qantas—the only airline mentioned as having planes that "never crashed."
en.wikipedia.orgSubmitted by Boomtown_Rat t3_yqpdpx
TIL of the "world's rudest waiter," Edsel Ford Fong, who greeted visitors with an admonition to "Sit down and shut up!" He was known for calling patrons "retarded" and "fat", criticizing people's menu choices and then telling them what they should order, amongst others.
en.wikipedia.orgSubmitted by Boomtown_Rat t3_yqo3ka
Submitted by AKSupplyLife t3_ypv4jg