› added 4 years ago

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TIL The meter (metre) was originally defined to be one ten millionth of the distance between the North Pole and the Equator through Paris

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jNrj TIL some Micronesians made mock airstrips, radios, etc., and imitated military drills post WWII as religious ceremony so airplanes would deliver manufactured goods.
N7EDQ TIL After flying 65 combat missions over North Vietnam (144 total), Guion Bluford became the first African American to qualify as a NASA astronaut in 1979. He also became the first African American in space in 1983, ultimately logging over 688 hours across four Space Shuttle missions.
WkMKA TIL, that while they may look silly and harmless, platypuses can be dangerous — at least certain ones. The males come equipped with sharp stingers on the heels of their rear feet that can add some extra pain to a kick.
OmXg TIL: The US Navy sends medics to the high-volume emergency rooms of LA and Chicago to prep them to be deployed.
e0xKD TIL that in 1982 Jim Rice saved a 4 year old boys life. The boy was hit in the face by a foul ball and Rice knew it would take several minutes for the ballparks EMS to get to the boy. He immediately sprinted into the stands, picked up the boy, and ran him into the dugout to the team doctor.