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TIL when John Glenn became the first man to orbit the Earth in 1962, he carried a note that read "I am a stranger. I come in peace. Take me to your leader and there will be a massive reward for you in eternity" translated into several languages, in case he splashed down in the remote South Pacific

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b9Gn0 TIL that on April 1st, 1991, a thief stole a box from the trunk of a car in New York City and discovered six partial human heads with the backs of the skulls cut away. They turned out to be specimens for study at an infirmary and not a strange April Fools' prank.
ZBpv TIL Queen Victoria survived 8 assassination attempts, 3 of which occurred within 5 weeks of each other, and 1 involving a British army officer who hit her over the head with a cane.
m7jx TIL In a Blind Taste Test of San Francisco Sourdough Bread, the winner was actually from Los Angeles. They were so confused by the results, they re-did the blind test, only for the breads to rated in the exact same order.
KYDGa TIL: That fungi have a range of vital roles from helping plants draw water + nutrients from soil to medicines that can lower blood cholesterol or enable organ transplants. But they have a darker side: devastating trees, crops, other plants across the world and wiping out animals such as amphibians.
WjbX TIL after the ‘feel-good’ story about the success of an ex-Convict turning his life around appeared on the Syracuse.com news site, the car dealership with whom he was employed immediately fired him.