› added 9 months ago

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TIL that Linear A, the writing system used by the Minoans of Crete, still hasn't been deciphered.

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rRBre TIL of Zippy Chippy, a racehorse that, despite having many famous racehorses in his pedigree, failed to win all of the 100 races he competed in and ended up banned from all tracks except Northampton Fair.
v1rY8 TIL During the Soviets' attempts to shoot down Francis Gary Powers' U2 spy plane in 1960, a Soviet fighter pilot was mistakenly hit by a Surface-to-Air Missile and died from his injuries. His death was hidden from the Soviet people for over 30 years.
pVXQ TIL Trevor Noah is a polygot, speaking English, Xhosa, Zulu, Sotho, Tswana, Tsonga, Afrikaans and some German and Spanish.
4XaWo TIL Leonardo Da Vinci, a pacifist, invented an armored tank nearly 500 years ahead of its time, but included a fatal flaw in the design (the wheels only spun toward each other) so it could never be used in an actual battle.
e07xk TIL in Victorian England they used to take group photos with their dead ones and, given the long exposure time, the dead were often seen more sharply than the slightly-blurred living, because of their lack of movement