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TIL Years before Kelly Johnson designed the SR-71 Blackbird, he designed an even faster drone called the X-7. It flew over 130 flights and exceeded Mach 4.3, and was developed into the AQM-60 drone. Both were made of Steel.

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v1bLR TIL phages (a group of viruses) were supposed to be studied as antibacterial agents in human medicine, but were cut short by the discovery of penicillin shortly after. With today's increasingly drug-resistant bacteria, phages are being considered once again.
VMAeG TiL that on July 8th, 1941 the Australian cruiser HMAS Sydney along with the rest of her squadron attempted to shoot down the planet Venus thinking it was a high altitude bomber. Venus managed to survive the engagement.
J8rk TIL that the disc for Playstation game Tiger Woods PGA Tour ‘99 contained a copy of the short film “The Spirit of Christmas” that spawned the South Park series, but was unauthorized to do so and was recalled as a result.
egWn TIL of Steven Jay Russell, who impersonated a prison guard to simply walk out of prison. Upon recapture Russell lowered and paid his bail by pretending to be a judge, escaped his next capture by impersonating a doctor, and did so AGAIN by faking his death, eventually landing him a 144yr sentence.
WkBW8 TIL that after Pearl Harbor was bombed FDR gave his “Day of Infamy” speech, one of the most famous speeches in American history. FDR was paralyzed from the waist down due to polio, so he walked to the podium for his speech with the help of steel leg braces, a cane, and his son.