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TIL, in 1998 it took several days to bring down a rogue 25-story tall Canadian weather balloon even after two F-16s fired more than 1,000 rounds of cannon shells into it. The balloon had severe impact on trans-Atlantic air traffic as airliners were forced to divert from their projected flight paths

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VBk4k TIL that when Californians wanted to name a new city after San Francisco businessman William Ralston, he declined and said he was not worthy of the honor. So instead they named the city in honor of his modesty: Modesto, California.
XE1XX TIL that Canada consumes the most doughnuts and has the most doughnut shops per capita of any country in the world
negBb TIL In 1987, a Boeing 737 hit a fish midair, about 400 feet past the runway. Upon inspection, they found a greasy spot with some scales, but no damage. The bald eagle which dropped the fish also escaped injury.
5D8Q TIL that Stevie Wonder is blind because he was born six weeks premature, which, along with the oxygen-rich atmosphere in the hospital incubator, resulted in retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), a condition in which the growth of the eyes is aborted and causes the retinas to detach
mRwM TIL the Bubonic Plague is still contracted by thousands annually, and affects all countries except Australia.