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TIL in 1978 British explorer Tim Severin proved it was possible for a 6th century Irish boat clad in leather to make the journey across the Atlantic from Ireland to North America. This was done to test if St. Brendan the Navigators described journey across the Atlantic was possible at the time.

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DQodj TIL The M-497 Black Beetle was an experimental jet-powered railcar test bed of the NY Central Railroad, developed and tested in 1966 in the USA. Even with this spectacular performance, and being built relatively cheaply using existing parts, the project wasn't considered viable commercially.
MGV7 TIL that Toto, the dog in The Wizard of Oz, was paid $125 a week while the Munchkin actors were only paid $50-$100 a week.
4Xr75 TIL: Pesto can be made with Cashews. If you have allergies, don’t forget to read the label.
XE7Lj TIL In 1838, a man stopped on the Boulevard du Temple in Paris to get his boots cleaned. He and the cleaner stood still for at least seven minutes on the street, and accidentally became the first people in history to be photographed.
Mep0 TIL Muhammad Ali threw his Olympic gold medal into an Ohio river to protest racial discrimination in America