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TIL the Royal Navy trained WWII fighter direction officers using ice cream tricycles fitted with radios and compasses to simulate aerial combat. Instructors noted students pedaled much faster than ordered whenever a (female) WRNS member was piloting an attacking bomber trike

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aldb TIL Kal Penn (Kumar from Harold & Kumar) who currently plays the White House Press Secretary on Designated Survivor was the actual Associate Director in the White House Office of Public Engagement.
rRDMW TIL that Coca-Cola originally contained cocaine in the form of an extract of the coca leaf, which inspired the “Coca” part of the beverage’s name. At the time, cocaine was a legal and not thought to be harmful. In 1929 scientists were able to remove all psychoactive elements from the recipe.
4klDw TIL that in 1694, the Parliament of England banned smoking in the House of Commons chamber and committee rooms. To replace smoking, MPs were offered snuff from a special Parliamentary Snuff Box. This is still stocked today. The current box is made from timber salvaged after the WWII bombing.
pYP8N TIL the Popigai impact structure is the largest created within the last 100 million years, and the shock pressures from the impact instantaneously transformed graphite in the ground into diamonds within a 13.6 km (8.5 mi) radius of the impact point
ZMdG TIL there is a website that counts the amount of days since the last homophobe was caught in a gay sex scandal. Current score: 11 days.