› added 12 years ago

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TIL on October 21, 1978, a 20yo Australian pilot flying over the Bass Straight reported an aircraft flying 1,000ft above him. His last transmission to ATC was “it is hovering and it’s not an aircraft”. No trace of the pilot or his aircraft have been seen since.

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VMAWk TIL that the phrase "blood is thicker than water" originally meant the opposite. The full phrase is “The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb.” Meaning bonds formed by choice are stronger than those of simple genetics.
xVpBo TIL that a 17 year old sold his kidney for a iPhone and iPad in 2011 and is now bedridden for life
DDLp TIL that a geneticist in 2006 showed for there to be any chicken at all, there had to have been an egg first.
XE4LX TIL Mel Gibson removed a scene from the film Hacksaw Ridge, in which Desmond Doss saved 75 Americans on a battlefield. The real Doss gave up his stretcher for another wounded man, was shot by a sniper, then crawled 300 yards to safety. Gibson felt the audience wouldn't find the scene believable.
xVkZ7 TIL Before virtual game achievements, Activision used to send physical iron on patches to players who mailed in photographs of their high scores