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TIL the atmosphere on Earth at sea level is roughly equivalent to being behind 13 feet of solid concrete when it comes to radiation shielding.

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oBmRR TIL In 1974, the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis published a paper titled "The Unsuccessful Self-Treatment of a Case of 'Writer's Block.'" It contained a total of zero words.
Y77rW TIL the first supersonic airliner was not the Concorde or Tu-144, but a DC-8. During a test flight in 1961 it achieved supersonic speed for 16 seconds while in a dive. Accompanying the airliner in a chase plane was Chuck Yeager, the first pilot to break the sound barrier.
BgLAr TIL the A26 motorway in France is so heavily used by British holidaymakers that it's officially nicknamed "Autoroute des Anglais" or "Motorway of the English"
WkL0A TIL of Bishop Chrysostomos of Zakynthos and Mayor Karres, who, when ordered to list and turn in the entire Jewish population of Zakynthos, Greece, promptly hid them in various rural islands and turned in a list containing only their own names. The entire Jewish population survived.
YpEgW TIL Ajax Amsterdam didn't lose a single home match in the 1971-72 season and was only defeated once in the whole season, and then won the Netherlands national league, KNVB Cup, European Cup and Intercontinental Cup in 1972.