› added 5 years ago

55

TIL that the Soviet Union sent an unmanned spacecraft to the moon in an attempt to bring back lunar soil. It was in lunar orbit as Armstrong and Aldrin performed their famous spacewalk. It crashed on the lunar surface hours before the Apollo astronauts lifted off for their return to Earth.

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

xVGvk TIL that Eartha Kitt was invited to a lunch by President Johnson at the White House. She was asked about Viet Nam and instead of giving a polite response, ranted about how horrible it was. This lead to the CIA trying to ruin her career and an effective US blacklist for over ten years
Br7ob TIL of Lisa McVey, the only girl to escape serial killer Bobby Long. She was 17 when he abducted her & she was going home to commit suicide. Long held her hostage for 26 hours. Using her wit, she managed to escape & the ordeal made her realize her desire to live. She’s now a police officer.
e0XkE TIL after listening to Standing Bear (Ponca) lecture in 1879, Helen Hunt Jackson researched the mistreatment of Indians at the Astor Library. She was inspired to write A Century of Dishonor and sent a copy to each member of Congress on her own dime. It was dismissed as sentimental.
7g57 TIL Japan used $30 million of their Tsunami relief funds to support whaling
5Vmn9 TIL that despite infamously campaigning on "segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever," Alabama governor George Wallace later renounced segregationism, publicly apologized to the black community, and appointed record numbers of African Americans to state positions and his cabinet.