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TIL that In 1859, a solar storm called the Carrington Event was so powerful that telegraph systems worldwide burst into sparks, shocking operators and even catching paper on fire. Auroras were seen as far south as the Caribbean, and some thought it was the end of the world.

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LvRr TIL that Albert Einstein once swapped places in a lecture with his chauffeur after falling ill. When the chauffeur was asked a question by a student, he merely responded “The answer to that question is actually quite simple! In fact, it’s so simple, that I am going to let my chauffeur answer it!”
Ep9P TIL that due to high cost, most wasabi found in the US is actually horseradish with green dye.
kJ9aW TIL the inventor of first machine gun, Richard Gatling thought machine gun would actually decrease the casualties of war by reducing size of armies and so reduce the number of deaths by combat and disease. Also, that terror of such a weapon would discourage war altogether.
JYD41 TIL during the Battle of the Wilderness, a fistfight between a Union and Confederate soldier caused a ceasefire, as both sides stopped fighting to watch the scuffle. The Union soldier lost and was taken prisoner. The battle then resumed.
JYR8v TIL that The Beatles had a specific clause in their contract that stated that they would not ever have to play for a segregated audience.