For World Toilet Day, we turn our attention to a bathroom at California Polytechnic State University that's unusual even for that campus. Plus: it's National Play Monopoly Day. Do you know the full names of the game's mustachioed mascot and the police officer who sends people to Jail without passing Go?

Cal Poly’s unconventional bathroom: A campus mystery revealed (KCPR)  

Real names of 23 fictional characters (CNN via Archive.org) 
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Today in 1963, AT&T launched the first commercial telephone service where customers could use touch-tone devices instead of rotary dial. It started with just two communities in western Pennsylvania, but of course it spread, way way beyond that. Plus: a couple in southern Australia comes home to find a koala sitting on their floor.

50 years ago, touch-tone phones began a communication revolution (TribLive)  

‘Only in Australia’: Couple comes home to find koala in bed (CNN)

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Today in 1920, the Royal Australian Navy added a woman to its ranks for the very first time. Her name was Nancy Bentley, she was six years old, and the Navy “enlisted” her in an effort to save her life. Plus: starting tomorrow in New Orleans, it’s Beignet Fest.

Before her time – the tale of Navy’s first female sailor (NavyHistory.au)

BEIGNET FEST 

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Today in 1919 (or, by some accounts, 1922), the birthday of Veronica Lake, a movie star whose iconic hairstyle won over millions of fans, even when she gave up that trademark look to help the US win World War II. Plus: a design studio in Barcelona, Bel & Bel, is giving new life to the front panels of old Vespa scooters by turning them into stylish office chairs.

The Peek-A-Boo Girl Gets Cut: In 1943 Veronica Lake Saved America And A Million Women’s Hair (Flashbak)

Vespa Scooters Given New Life as Innovative Office Chairs (My Modern Met)

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Today in 1965, a landmark moment in the history of televised profanity: an f-bomb live on the BBC! We'll look back at some choice moments where people used choice words on the air. Plus: today in 1957, an article in the Guardian newspaper where a guy suggests bringing the world back toward faith by sending a bishop into space.

Bleep This: A Brief History of Profanity on Television (Mental Floss)

Bishop in Space (Weird Universe)

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Tonight in 1833, the beginning of a bright show in the evening sky, one that was so bright and so busy, some people started to freak out about it. Plus: today in 2015, an NFL game featuring a special set of jerseys turns into a washout for colorblind football fans.

November 12-13, 1833: The Night the Stars Fell (Newspapers.com)

When Red (Bills) Met Green (Jets), Colorblind Fans Lost (New York Times)

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For Veterans Day, the story of Vietnam-era servicemember Douglas Hegdahl. He tricked his captors into thinking he was "the incredibly stupid one," but by using his incredibly sharp memory, he was able to memorize (and later share) information about hundreds of American POWs, in the hopes of keeping them safer and healthier until they could come home.

Lest We Forget (US Naval Institute via Archive.org)

Today in 1971, the release of the fourth Led Zeppelin album. The opening track, "Black Dog," still gets played and shared today, and it got its name from a very unusual visitor to the studio. Plus: in 2023, a researcher came across the original version of the photo on the Zeppelin album's cover, the one with the older man carrying a big bundle of sticks on his back.

Headley Grange Led Zeppelin at Headley Grange (BBC)

Lucky Find at Auction Identifies Man on Cover of ‘Led Zeppelin IV’ (New York Times)

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On Election Day 1904, President Theodore Roosevelt won 56 percent of the popular vote, a huge majority in the Electoral College, and two ostriches. No, really. Plus: starting tomorrow near Haines, Alaska, it’s the Alaska Bald Eagle Festival.

In 1904, Theodore Roosevelt Won a Presidential Election…And a Pair of Ostriches (Smithsonian)

Alaska Bald Eagle Festival 

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Today is apparently National Taxi Day, which means we get to talk about a program in New York City where they got some very famous voices to give safety tips for taxi riders. Plus: this Saturday in Las Vegas, Major League Eating presents its Hotcake Eating Championships.

⁠A Celebrity in Every Taxi⁠ (Ironic Sans)

⁠NORMS Las Vegas: Hotcake Eating Championship⁠ (Major League Eating)

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