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TIL in 1962 a bear was ejected from a B-58 jet bomber at 870 mph to test whether humans could survive supersonic ejections. The bear then floated down via parachute from 35,000 feet over the course of 7 minutes, where it landed unharmed.

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b6x44 TIL that in 1968, Richard Nixon feared that there would be a breakthrough in the Paris Peace Talks between North and South Vietnam, resulting in the war ending and damaging his campaign. Nixon dispatched an aide to tell the South Vietnamese to withdraw from the talks and prolong the war
ANoGg TIL I learned that one of the people who is first credited with the ideas for a home mortgage and home insurance policy, as well as being an early outspoken proponent of paper currency, was named If-Jesus-Christ-had-not-died-for-thee-thou-hadst-been-damned before renaming himself Nicholas Barbon
R58ow TIL about Mansa Musa, 9th Mansa of the Mali Empire and candidate for richest person in history. Mansa Musa presided over Mali's 14th Century golden age, when it traded across the Sahara with Europe and Egypt and made Timbuktu a centre of Islamic learning and scholarship.
woMeP TIL that “fire rainbows” are real. They’re called circumhorizontal arcs and happen when sunlight passes through ice crystals in high-altitude cirrus clouds—creating vibrant, horizontal bands of color in the sky. I had no idea these existed until today.
Z8XZa TIL that in 2014 a Cockatoo celebrated it’s 100th birthday, it was also noticed by Queen Elizabeth II who sent a birthday card as is custom to 100 year olds.