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TIL that in 1964 Zambia tried beating the US and the USSR in the space race. They used swings for zero gravity and rolling down a hill in barrels for turbulence training and a catapult to launch the 1,8mx3m rocket to the moon. The afronaut crew consisted of 10 Zambians, one 17y old girl and her cat.

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BgnVK TIL Beethoven’s relationship with his brother Johann was strained. He opposed Johann marrying his housekeeper so much he tried contacting the authorities to stop it. After buying an estate, Johann signed a letter “your brother Johann, landowner.” Beethoven replied: “your brother Ludwig, brain owner”
BrMld TIL Chinese dumplings are called "Peking ravioli" in the Boston area because when Joyce Chen opened her Chinese restaurant in Cambridge she thought it would sound more appealing to the large Italian population in the area.
OooaL TIL about Patrick the Wombat. He was the world’s oldest wombat at 32 years, and died a virgin. He had a Tinder profile and rode around in a wheelbarrow.
dDAMQ TIL that Shalimar Seiuli, the sex worker who gained infamy when she was seen getting into Eddie Murphy's car, died after falling five floors after she locked herself out of her apartment and tried to use a towel as a rope to swing down from the roof to an open window.
0dYWp TIL a Virginia man discovered he had unintentionally left his phone recording before undergoing a colonoscopy, and while he was under anesthesia, it captured audio of medical staff mocking him. In 2015, a jury awarded him $500,000 for defamation, medical malpractice, and punitive damages.