› added 11 years ago

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TIL, one man, Stanislav Petrov, effectively saved the world from nuclear war by not telling his superiors of his system reporting a nuclear attack by the US. The system had malfunctioned.

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kG0E TIL of Ted Rodrigue, a homeless man who was given $100,000 as part of a documentary and social experiment. Within six months, he had less than $5,000.
a8gRA TIL Kristin Harila and Tenjen Sherpa set a new speed record for summiting all 14 mountains that are 8,000+ meters by completing the feat in 92 days in 2023. The pair also set a record by reaching 26 eight-thousander summits in 1 year and 3 months.
BgvAy TIL that in 1980, Lee Kuan Yew, Prime Minister of Singapore warned Australia it was on track to become the ‘poor white trash of Asia’ if it didn’t open up its economy. Australia did open its economy, thrived, and has very close and friendly relations with Singapore.
5Yvj9 TIL that when 10 Downing Street was restored in the 1960s, it was found that its iconic black bricks were actually yellow, and had been stained black by two centuries of urban smog
AN9Xn TIL During World War II, Nazi Germany planned to cripple the U.S. war effort by attacking the Pennsylvania Railroad's four-track mainline at Horseshoe Curve. The agents came over by U-Boat, but were stopped by the FBI. Had it succeeded, U.S. supply lines to Europe could have been badly disrupted.