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TIL that During the First Gulf War, an American Patriot missile battery used double values in its calculations. The inaccuracy caused it to fail to track and intercept an incoming Iraqi Scud missile, and 28 soldiers were killed

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BgE9L TIL: The Capacitor Plague, where capacitors had much higher failure rates between 1999 and 2007, as the formula was miscopied when a scientist stole it through corporate espionage in Japan. They returned to China and gave it to their previous employer, who put the faulty formula into production.
Medj8 TIL- Louie Anderson once blew 80 grand, all his money, gambling in LA, then rented a car, drove to Vegas in the middle of the night and used a casino line of credit to win it all back in the pit by sunup, caught a 7am flight and went straight to shoot a 7-11 commercial.
dow8 TIL that the popularity of the SNES caught the attention of the Yakuza, prompting Nintendo to ship the consoles at night to prevent theft.
OonK1 TIL that the ‘B’ on Auschwitz I’s “arbeit macht frei” sign was placed upside down as a symbol of resistance by the prisoners who were forced to create it. This act went undiscovered by the SS. The inverted ‘B’ is now a reminder to, “never remain indifferent. Indifference kills.”
l79er TIL the golden wheel spider rolls down hills cartwheel-style to escape its predators