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TIL On July 26, 1931, a swarm of grasshoppers descended on Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota devastating millions of acres of crops. It was so thick that it blocked out the sun and one could shovel the grasshoppers with a scoop. Cornstalks were eaten to the ground and fields left completely bare.

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NvyQ TIL of Balloonfest ‘86, a publicity stunt where the United Way of Cleveland released 1.4 million balloons over the city. The balloons tied up highway and air traffic, caused lawsuits seeking millions in damages, and interfered with a Coast Guard search for two boaters who were later found drowned.
VMoa0 TIL that peregrine falcons are the fastest animals on the planet, capable of reaching speeds around 200 MPH.
14G4 TIL two con men sold a fake painting for €1.5 million, only to find out that all the money was counterfeit
oMeE TIL that 6 of the most famous speeches in history; Eisenhower’s “military–industrial complex”, JFK’s “ask not what your country can do”, “we choose to go to the moon”, Mandela’s “I am prepared to die”, JFK’s “ich bin ein Berliner”, and MLK’s “I have a dream” were made within 2 years of each other.
GNXJ TIL-Astronauts from the Gemini and Apollo missions used a condom like device to extract urine. The sizes were small, medium and large. Instead of these terms, Astronauts preferred to use “extra large, immense, and unbelievable”.