› added 5 years ago

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TIL that the German submarine U-1206 was lost due to a toilet malfunction: the leak flooded the submarine's batteries causing them to release chlorine gas, leaving the Commander with no alternative but to surface. Once surfaced, U-1206 was discovered and bombed by British patrols.

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GYkk5 TIL that to prevent illegal fly posters, a local council in the UK stuck their own "CANCELLED" posters over the top of ones for events. Cleaning staff had been removing up to 100 illegal posters per week. Eight weeks after the initiative was introduced this was reduced to zero.
9YZrM TIL that a family in China adopted what they thought was a dog and raised it for 2 years, only to find out it was an Asiatic black bear. They reportedly couldn't figure out why the dog kept growing. It turns out that sort of mix-up happens fairly often.
yQPYv TIL that when NASA was preparing for Sally Ride to travel as the first American female astronaut, engineers initially were at a loss about how many tampons to send. “Is 100 the right number?” they asked her. “No. That would not be the right number,” she replied.
LkjKr TIL about the Lippisch P.13a, an experimental coal-powered jet fighter designed for Nazi Germany as a result of fuel shortages toward the end of WWII
jNg7n TIL that critically acclaimed author Brandon Sanderson is also a lecturer at BYU and posts his lectures for free on YouTube for any aspiring authors/curious people