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154

TIL NASA requires all astronauts to learn Russian language.

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Wkd6A TIL in 1959, rather than integrate, Prince Edward County in Virginia closed all of their public schools for FIVE YEARS. White children attended state-subsidized "private schools". No provision was made for educating the county's black children.
oRw88 TIL before filming Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, director Alfonso Cuarón asked Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson to write essays about their characters. Watson submitted a 16-page essay, Radcliffe handed in a single page, and Grint forgot to turn his in.
rNBaW TIL that octopuses have three hearts. Two of these hearts pump blood to the gills, while the third pumps it to the rest of the body. When an octopus swims, the heart that delivers blood to the body actually stops beating, which explains why they prefer crawling to swimming—it’s less tiring for them!
ZLLG TIL that Dutch company Philips invented the cassette, portable radio, VCR, and CD
N71MQ TIL Boris Mikhailov, captain of the USSR hockey team, was offered a $1 million contract to leave Russia in 1980 after the Miracle on Ice. However, he declined as the KGB was standing next to him when the offer was made.