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TIL a London skyscraper’s curved glass facade caused a series of fires - reflected and concentrated sunlight spontaneously ignited the carpets in adjacent businesses and melted parts of cars parked nearby

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Zp5Ea TIL The first defensive driving program started in 1964 for the US National Safety Council. It is a form of training for drivers that goes beyond road rules and the basic mechanics of driving techniques
negWB TIL most maps distort the size of many countries. Greenland and South America tend to look roughly the same size even though South America is 8.2 times larger. Canada is also smaller than the typical representation, and South Africa much larger.
16lW7 TIL Neil Armstrong had rejected numerous proposals to have an author write his biography until he finally accepted a proposal from James Hansen, a history professor. He eventually recorded more than 50 hours of interviews with Armstrong, who did not demand approval rights for "First Man" nor profit
a8080 TIL Eleanor Roosevelt held her own press conferences where only female journalists were allowed. This ensured they kept their jobs during Depression-era layoffs, earning a steady income & professional status.
5V5D8 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