› added 5 years ago

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TIL of Alex Zanardi, a Formula One driver who lost both of his legs in a major crash in 2001. After, he designed and built his own custom prosthetics for racing. He started racing again in specialised touring cars. He also took up handcycling, and won medals in both the 2012 and 2016 Paralympics.

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R7lp9 TIL that in 1859 the sun caused a solar storm on earth.The storm was so powerful that aurora was seen as south as Mexico, and Telegraphs systems all over Europe and North America failed to operate.
VMN7m TIL The Catalina Wine Mixer from Step Brothers wasn't a real thing when the movie was made, but has since become a real event because of the movie
4kkXR TIL that possums don’t “play dead”, they actually pass out due to fear of predators. They go into shock and faint when confronted, involuntarily. They are in a catatonic state until they become conscious again.
nvo7 TIL the most powerful commercial radio station ever was WLW (700KHz AM), which during certain times in the 1930s broadcast 500kW radiated power. At night, it covered half the globe. Neighbors within the vicinity of the transmitter heard the audio in their pots, pans, and mattresses.
OobvY TIL I learned that Owls can't move their eyes at all - they can only look straight ahead. To compensate, they use their long, flexible necks to move their eyes through 270 degrees of rotation. Their eye 'structures' provide fantastic vision and account for up to five percent of their body weight.