› added 1 year ago

48

TIL an innovative satellite launched in 1962, Telstar 1, was accidentally damaged beyond use by Cold War nuclear bombs. After transmitting the first TV and phone signals and images from space, it broke down due to damage from Soviet & American nuclear tests, but still orbits the earth today.

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

yVWXp TIL that the Presidential transition between Truman and Eisenhower was extraordinarily acrimonious. In their car ride to the capital for the inauguration, Eisenhower wondered aloud "what SOB ordered my son back [from Korea], just to embarrass me.” Truman replied "I did."
YpB8A TIL "The China Syndrome" film about a nuclear reactor meltdown was released just 12 days before the Three Mile Island nuclear meltdown catapulting the film into a blockbuster hit
e0Z0g TIL Saturn, an American Alligator born in 1936, who is rumored to have been a favorite of Hitler. After the Battle of Berlin he was captured by the British and given to the Soviets. He was moved to Moscow Zoo after the war where he still lives today.
MZ5A TIL there is 3G cell service and internet capability at the peak of Mt. Everest, while only 9% of the Nepalese population has access to the Internet.
woxgo TIL Willie Nelson has faced multiple arrests for marijuana possession. Notably, in 2010, after six ounces were found on his tour bus, a Texas prosecutor joked Nelson should pay a $100 fine and sing “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain” in court. The judge denied the performance but upheld the fine.