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TIL that the Martin-Baker Aircraft Company pioneered the development and production of the Ejection Seat after its founder, Sir James Martin, lost his partner, Capt Valentin Baker, in a plane crash in 1942

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XERwX TIL of Le Pétomane, a french flatulist (professional farter) who performed at the Moulin Rouge in the 1890s. He was said to have been so skilled as to be able to mimic the sounds of cannon fire and thunderstorms, as well as the sounds of farm animals.
R7ax4 TIL the canonical reason for most of the alien races to be humanoid in Star Trek is an ancient humanoid species seeding the oceans of many worlds with DNA codes 4.5 billion years before the start of the series, directing the evolution of life towards a physical pattern similar to their own.
DGZJ TIL When Disney released the first trailer for The Lion King, they simply showed the entire “Circle of Life” opening sequence. Disney felt it was so powerful it worked as a trailer, and the movie went on to set box office records.
wLmbM TIL LSD was discovered when a chemist was synthesizing some plant components and accidentally consumed some. Afterward, he reported feeling restless, dizzy, and slightly drunk and when he closed his eyes he could see vivid images, pictures, and colors in his mind.
ADOp4 TIL that the night before the Miracle on Ice, American goalie Jim Craig and Soviet star forward Sergei Markov played the arcade game "Centipede" at the Olympic Village. The two could barely speak in each other's language, so they communicated with nods and laughs.