› added 7 years ago

124

TIL of Ray Holmes, an RAF Pilot who intentionally rammed a German Bomber with his Fighter to stop it bombing Buckingham Palace, bailed out, then went drinking.

Read more telegraph.co.uk

via reddit.com

DQXVe TIL that during a spin, a pilot jumped from his plane, only to see his unmanned F-106 recover and land safely in a field.
BrV4W TIL that the word "board" in the term "room and board" refers to "food" because "board" is a old word for "table", and a table is the thing food is commonly served on.
xmB TIL with key Greek city-states in submission, Philip II of Macedon turned his attention to Sparta and sent a message: “If I win this war, you will be slaves forever.” The Spartans replied with one word: “if”
a8jOM TIL the constellation Canes Venatici exists because of a double translation error. From Greek for "club", the Arabic translator didn't know the word and rendered it as "staff with a hook". Then the Latin translator misread "hook" (kullab) as "dogs" (kilab).
VMVvQ TIL There has been an annual festival called 'Bob Dylan Festival' celebrated in the city of Shillong, Meghalaya, in India since 1972.