› added 4 months ago

18

TIL about the North American X-15, a hypersonic rocket-powered aircraft which holds the world record for highest speed ever recorded by a crewed, powered aircraft. The X-15 reached that speed on 3 October 1967, when test pilot William J. Knight flew at Mach 6.7 (4,520 mph; 7,274 km/h).

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6E60W TIL that more people die in the desert due to drowning than due to the heat. This is because people do not prepare for flash floods, which can be very extreme in the desert.
ROBw TIL that before the late 17th century, humans’ sleep cycle was divided into two periods. The first sleep usually began at dusk, lasted four hours, and was followed by an hour or so of being awake. Then we had a second sleep, lasting another four hours.