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TIL painting fake aircraft canopies onto the bottom of fighter planes is a technique used to confuse enemy jets about which side of an airplane is up versus down, buying critical moments of disorientation in an aerial battle.

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4XwEN TIL Jupiter's moon Europa is covered by a thick layer of ice, with a huge subsurface ocean of liquid water underneath it. Estimates give the ocean an average depth of 100km, and a radius of 877km. This equates to 3 times the combined volume of water of Earth's oceans.
78xZX TIL that the term "Middle East" was invented by the British in the 1850s then popularized by the US naval strategist Alfred Thayer Mahan in 1902. The term was used to describe the region between Egypt and India, two areas Britain colonized. Before then, the term "Near East" was used.
J1PrB TIL that the US Mullet Championships is the largest competition in the world in terms of the number of applicants: upwards of 1,000 each year
OoDaX TIL that Jane Minor, a slave born in 1792, was freed due to her medical work during an epidemic in 1825. She spent her life buying the freedom of other slaves. She freed at least sixteen, some costing over $2000, on a salary of around $2-$5 per medical visit.
r88y TIL In his infamous movie, The Room, Tommy Wiseau originally wanted there to be a plotline in which it is revealed that Johnny is a vampire. This would include a scene where Johnny’s car would start to fly from the rooftop into the night sky.