› added 12 years ago

96

TIL The of Admiral Yi Sun Shin who managed to destroy 333 enemy ships with only 13 of his own and 5 casualties

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wL1lM TIL Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World" sold less than 1000 copies when first released in America due to suppression from the president of his label. It became well-known after inclusion in the soundtrack to Good Morning, Vietnam.
XVy6 TIL Russian ice slides of the 17th century inspired the modern roller coaster. They were wooden structures often 70-80 ft high with ice frozen over a sloping ramp which stretched out 100s of feet. Riders ploughed into a pile of sand to slow them down.
OGjDL TIL not only is gold edible, it's also kosher.
XPg8 TIL China had the worst rocket disaster in history during a 1996 launch at Xichang and covered up an estimated 500 deaths.
MDvK TIL US government did not spend millions developing Space Pen while Russians used pencils. US also used pencils.