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TIL there is a city in Siberia called Akademgorodok created by Khrushchev to be an academic utopia filled with nothing but scientists with its own schools, single family homes and markets--considered luxury living at the time

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9Y80B TIL that Valentine's Day is the day that St. Valentine was beaten with clubs and tortured to death for performing secret marriages against the Emperor's wishes. The Emperor banned all marriages because soldiers didn't want to leave their families to fight in wars.
M7PB7 TIL Due to signing their merchandise deal late, Kenner sold the first four Star Wars figures in a empty box for Christmas 1977, it had a mail in rebate so you would receive your four figures by February 1978.
Eg6ZP TIL that in 1984, we sent two balloons to float around the atmosphere of Venus. The two probes, Vega 1 and Vega 2, consisted of a spacecraft, a lander and a balloon explorer. After dropping the lander and balloon, Vega 1 and 2 went on to rendezvous with Halley’s Comet.
D1WKg TIL a light bulb in Livermore, California has burned continuously for over 117 years. Conspiracy theorists see it as a symbol of planned obsolescence, but its longevity can be attributed to its extremely inefficient design.
yQpVp TIL The "Vulcan Salute" on Star Trek came from a Jewish Blessing that Nimoy recalled from childhood