› added 7 years ago

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TIL A super massive star called Eta Carinae (7,500 light years from Earth) is nearing the end of its life. It could explode tomorrow or 1000 years from now in what is known as a supernova. The explosion will create a blast so violent that its flash will briefly outshine the entire Milky Way.

Read more relay.nationalgeographic.com

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AgoB TIL that MIT developed a computer software that can identify and distinguish a real smile from a smile of frustration.
VMwN0 TIL aerospace engineer and author Judith Love Cohen (worked on the Hubble Space Telescope) had two well known sons. The first son, Neil Siegel, developed GPS receivers in mobile devices and the US Army's first unmanned air vehicle system. The second son is a rather famous actor... named Jack Black.
LQD8p TIL; Andrew J Beard, a black man who was born into slavery went on the invent the "Jenny Coupler" a device that automatically locked rail cars together and eliminated the dangerous need for a person to stand between them, saving untold lives.
lo10V TIL Polish community in the UK tried to build a memorial to commemorate the Katyn Massacre (22K Poles were killed in 1940 by the USSR), but it was rejected by successive UK governments due to Soviet’s pressure. When it was unveiled in 1976 no official government representatives showed up.
9YZNm TIL that after struggling to sell his product in drug stores, the inventor of Vaseline would travel around the US intentionally burning himself with acid or an open flame in front of audiences. He would then spread the product all over the wounds and show off old lesions he claimed to be healed