› added 11 years ago

126

TIL evidence shows that the space shuttle Challenger’s crew survived the explosion and could have been conscious until the crew cabin hit the ocean. 4 of 5 recovered crew air packs had been activated and pilot switches that could only have been moved manually by a person were moved.

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

nY8r TIL that King Xerxes’ first attempt at crossing the Dardanelles ended in failure when a storm destroyed the cables of the bridge. In response, he ordered for the water to be whipped 300 times and also threw leg cuffs into it.
oBbdK TIL that director Alejandro Jodorowksy planned to make Dune in 1975. The character of the Padishah Emperor was to be played by artist Salvador Dali.
OoV1L TIL The entire world was saved from Nuclear obliteration by one Russian lieutenant colonel named Stanislav Petrov in 1983 by trusting his gut and not firing retaliatory nuclear strikes after a satellite had a false positive that America was sending 4 nukes their way.
EgO4W TIL elephants are the only wild animal that understands pointing without human training
XELMj TIL about Mary of Woodstock, who was made a nun at 7, went to live by herself in comfortable private quarters, and travelled widely around the country with no husband or kids. Every year she was given the equivalent of $250,000, twice the usual allowance for clothes, and 5,120 gallons of wine.