› added 9 years ago

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TIL a key aerospace scientist in the U.S. named Qian Xue Shen, was forced to return to China during the Red Scare, where he founded the Chinese space and missile programs.

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E1XXw TIL John Cage's 4'33" composition in which no instruments are played was partially inspired by a visit to a sound-proof chamber at Harvard University. Expecting to hear complete silence, he instead heard the sounds of his own body functioning—therefore realizing the "impossibility of silence."
9wwap TIL Fruit flies have a gene named “Jim Lovell”, after the famous astronaut, which is necessary for flies to respond to gravity
9AXr TIL that Planet Aid takes your clothing donations and sells them directly to overseas companies. They do not donate any items for free.
gMRJL TIL that the concept of the "double negative" does not exist in every language and in many languages, including Portuguese, French, Russian, Greek, Spanish, Old English and Italian, the use of multiple negatives serves to intensify rather than cancel out a previous negative.
VMOE4 TIL pedophiles are more likely to abuse teenagers than kids under 12