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TIL In 1980 Jimmy Carter’s national security adviser was awoken to a report of 2,200 incoming Soviet missiles... it was a false alarm due to the malfunction of a 46 cent chip.

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QJAOX TIL Squanto was taken from his home village, transported to Europe, conscripted into slavery, escaped and made his way back to his homeland, only to find he was the last of his tribe.
yQnkX TIL spaghetti almost invariably breaks into more than two pieces. It required a team of scientists, including a MIT mathematician, to figure out how to reliably snap spaghetti into just two pieces
ZWAR TIL that when Ernest Seton turned 21, his father charged him for all of the expenses associated with his childhood, including the fee for his delivery at birth. He paid the bill, but changed his name and never spoke to his father again.
xkD TIL That sling bullets dating from 4th century B.C. have been found with the words “take that” inscribed on them
VMXxG TIL when Republican senator, Jesse Helms submitted a 300 page packet to the Senate alleging Martin Luther King Jr. had ties to Communists in an effort to oppose establishing MLK Day, Democratic senator, Daniel Moyniham responded to the "packet of filth" by stomping on it in front of the Senate.