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TIL that one of the major factors that made Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space, as the choice for piloting Vostok 6 in June 1963, was that she proved lucky in the timing of her menstrual cycles earlier that month.

5EkP TIL in 1974 Paul McCartney and John Lennon watched SNL in John’s apartment when Lorne Michaels offered $3000 to get the Beatles back together. The two seriously considered going to the studio just a few blocks away but decided it was too late. This was the last time the two would ever be together.
AyNB TIL that the sting of the tarantuala hawk wasp is among the most painful of all insects. One researcher described the pain as “…immediate… unrelenting pain that simply shuts down one’s ability to do anything, except scream.”
XE4Yk TIL of the "Petticoat duel"; in 1792, Lady Almeria Braddock challenged Mrs. Elphinstone to a duel in London's Hyde Park over remarks the latter made about the former's true age; they duelled with pistols, then with swords, until Mrs. E agreed to write Lady A an apology.
Ooa54 TIL that the concept of a "white elephant" came from the King of Siam, where he gifted an albino elephant to people who displeased him; knowing that they couldn't get rid of it and that the upkeep cost would ruin them financially
bAJ0 TIL A Russian MIG Pilot defected during the cold war along with his aircraft. When he arrived in the USA he was convinced the CIA had specially stocked the grocery stores he went to because he couldn’t believe the vast array of products for sale.