› added 3 years ago

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TIL Michael Collins had spinal fusion surgery in 1968 and was removed from the crew of Apollo 8. It caused a rotation in astronaut assignments that landed him into a prime position on the historic Apollo 11 moon landing

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11XO TIL that if you fly through an “asteroid belt”, you’re probably not gonna see a single asteroid.
PYvpL TIL the Pharma company Allergan gave a number of their patents to a Native American tribe (and licensed the patents back to themselves) so that the tribe could asset "sovereign immunity" and prevent the patents from being invalidated.
Yp1Xx TIL that during the beginning of invention of electric appliances. They experimented with electric tablecloths. You could basically plug in an outlet anywhere on the table and the lightbulb would light up. Only downside was that you couldn’t spill any liquids on it
kONQd TIL that Submarines and Space Stations burn special candles as a means to produce oxygen, which can be used as a backup if their electronic oxygen-producing systems fail.
Z8xda TIL Charles Kuentz fought for the Germans during WW1 but became a French citizen after his homeland, Alsace-Lorraine, was taken back by France after the war. When France surrendered to Germany in 1940 he became a German citizen until the fall of the Third Reich which again made him a French citizen.