› added 2 months ago

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TIL that in 1859, a geomagnetic storm from a huge solar flare hit the Earth and auroras were visible around the globe. Telegraph systems in Europe and North America failed. Some telegraph equipment operated for over an hour without needing external electrical power.

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mxyBx TIL Apollo astronauts would breathe pure oxygen for several hours before flights in order to avoid getting the bends when the cabin pressure was lowered after liftoff.
OoJYa TIL in 2009, a woman walking her dog found a human bone on the West Mesa of Albuquerque, New Mexico. After, police discovered the remains of 11 women and a fetus buried in the area. No suspects have been arrested and it’s believed a serial killer is responsible. All the women have been identified.
6EpQY TIL that the Rainbow Shark isn't rainbow at all, and are usually a darker shade of black with red tips on it's fins. Furthermore, it's not even a shark, but a minnow with the appearance of a shark, thanks to it's dorsal fin.
7KJO TIL of the “Turnspit Dog” a now extinct dog that was short-legged, long-bodied and bred to run on a wheel that would turn meat over a fire. They were also used as foot warmers in church and Queen Victoria kept retired turnspit dogs as pets.
0dyxM TIL in 1997 an Air Force pilot mysteriously crashed his A-10 Warthog in Colorado. The four 500 lb bombs his plane was carrying have never been found.