› added 6 months ago

33

TIL that in 1927, Lindbergh flew 3,600 miles solo across the Atlantic in the Spirit of St. Louis with no radio, no lights, no parachute, not even a windshield. Just a periscope, a map, a wicker chair, and 33.5 sleepless hours in a cockpit that looked more like a steam engine than a plane.

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mVmv TIL in WWII, the BBC asked for holiday pictures and snaps of France ostensibly for an “exhibition” when actually, they were going to be used by the Allies to create detailed maps of the Normandy beaches so that they could plan for the Battle of Normandy.
pYJAN TIL there are miniature drones like we see in the movies called the "Black Hornet Nano", which are in active use by Militaries around the world. They measure 16x2.5cm and cost $195,000 each!
GAMRG TIL as Spielberg was filming Jurassic Park's climatic scene as originally scripted (with the velociraptors defeated by Dr. Alan Grant & John Hammond), he had the last-minute idea to bring back the T-Rex for the climax. As an "off-the-cuff thing", the physical effects had to be setup in about 24 hrs.
V4N0 TIL that Paul McCartney started the recording of “Hey Jude” without knowing that Ringo was absent and sitting on the toilet. Ringo tiptoed his way back into the studio just in time for the drums to come on.
W7pML TIL that the G.I. Joe U.S.S. Flagg aircraft carrier by Hasbro, which is 7 and a half feet long, over 3 feet wide, and almost 3 feet tall, is the largest playset ever produced for any line of action figures.