› added 2 weeks ago

3

TIL a guy in 1982 strapped 42 weather balloons to a lawnchair and proceeded to reach an altitude of 4900 meters (16,000 feet). Using a pellet gun he was able to pop the balloons and descend safely despite hitting some powerlines on the way down. He was dubbed "Lawnchair Larry" afterwards.

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

gRRA TIL of a Doctor currently serving a 175-year sentence for intentionally misdiagnosing roughly 533 healthy patients with cancer to line his pockets with money
l7E5A TIL that like most British colonies, Canada used to drive on the left side of the road. They abondonded this in the 1920s to facilitate traffic to and from the United States
yVvZv TIL-WW1 had Mercy Dogs. Mercy dogs were dogs that would locate wounded men in no man's land and bring medicine, food, water and/or stay with the dying so no they wouldn't die alone. Each army had them
grlEA TIL: The first Western film to be broadcast in North Korea was "Bend It Like Beckham," which state-run TV played on 26th December 2002.
pkBO TIL that in 1922, the New York Times reported that “several reliable, well-informed sources confirmed the idea that Hitler’s anti-Semitism was not so genuine or violent as it sounded, and that he was merely using anti-Semitic propaganda to catch masses of followers and keep them aroused”.