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TIL JFK’s PT-109 patrol boat came under attack near the Solomon Islands, and sunk. Swam 3.5 miles to the island. He then etched an SOS message into a coconut shell, asked two natives to deliver it to a nearby base in order to arrange for their rescue. He later turned the shell into a paper weight.

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nerEr TIL - Airline Engine Manufacturers occasionally test how well their engines can withstand the impact of a flock of birds. To do this, they use what is called a "Chicken Gun"; where they fire dead chickens into a running engine through a large diameter cannon.
XEJE TIL the reason why you occasionally can receive radio stations from cities far outside their normal broadcast range. A phenomenon called Tropospheric Ducting acts like a lens, bending the radio waves and greatly extending the normal reception range.
WWxo TIL after Nietzsche’s death, his sister edited his work to remove anything that didn’t align with the Nazi Doctrine. Writings that were Anti-Nazi, were edited to be Pro-Nazi, and used by Hitler’s party. The Nazis didn’t know she did this, and believed that Nietzsche was genuinely pro-Nazi.
5bQ9 TIL of 211, a 24/7 hotline run by the United Way that connects people in need with assistance programs that may help them.
p8KX8 TIL the “Death Zone” is what climbers call the highest part of Mount Everest (everything above 26,247ft). Due to its lack of oxygen, the body literally begins to die, cell by cell. This can result in health risks like impaired judgement, heart attack or stroke, and altitude sickness.