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TIL The M-497 Black Beetle was an experimental jet-powered railcar test bed of the NY Central Railroad, developed and tested in 1966 in the USA. Even with this spectacular performance, and being built relatively cheaply using existing parts, the project wasn't considered viable commercially.

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X0ZLE TIL Before earning a living as a writer, Octavia E. Butler once worked as a potato chip inspector.
JYgEQ TIL that in the 40's, a Californian nightschool teacher discovered fossils in a local quarry and formed a group of students whom he taught how to uncover them. One of their discoveries included in Antelope with four antlers.
4XEj5 TIL in 1962 the US detonated a nuke, Starfish Prime, in space to clear out Van Allen belt radiation (making Apollo missions safer) and for research. It took out part of Hawaii's electrical grid, several satellites, and made the Van Allen radiation much worse. A planned further test was cancelled.
a1GL TIL of Carlos Hathcock. A Marine sniper in Vietnam who crawled over 1500 yards to kill a high-ranking NVA officer. It took 4 days to complete because he could move only inches. He also said that he was almost stepped on while camouflaged in a meadow. As well as almost bitten by a Bamboo Viper.
e0ePk TIL that a mass grave was found in Ireland containing the bones of 796 infants.