› added 6 years ago

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TIL due to a typo, the Japanese company Mizuho Securities tried to sell 610,000 shares for a yen each (less than a penny) instead of 1 share for 610,000 yen (around $5,000). Despite three separate attempts to cancel it, the Tokyo Stock Exchange processed it anyway, costing the company $225 million.

E1a7P TIL When Stan Lee first introduced Spider-Man the publisher turned him down. Stan Lee didn't give up and snuck Spider-Man in to the last issue of the shuttered series Amazing Fantasy which went on to become a success.
Z8JDp TIL The Bikini Atoll’s flag is similar to the USA flag, but with black stars representing islands destroyed by nuclear testing, to serve as a reminder of the debt the US still owes them for nuclear fallout and radiation poisoning.
kkle TIL that Michelangelo’s Statue of David has an unusually enlarged right hand and head because it was originally intended to be kept atop on the cathedral roof so that important parts would be proportionately visible from way below.
Yb5W TIL of SABRE engine technology - basically planes that go from the ground to an altitude of 25 km, reach Mach 5.5 and then become rockets, kick you back into your seat and reach a speed of Mach 25. Such planes could reach anywhere in the world in roughly 4 hours.
8aBo4 TIL During World War II, Steinway & Sons airdropped pianos with large parachutes and complete tuning instructions into the battle for the American troops. Called the Victory Vertical or G.I. Steinways, the pianos were to provide a bit of relaxation. The pianos came in olive, blue, and gray drab.