Post * VBdkB — Curious Curator

› added 9 months ago

46

TIL that the first astronaut to be yelled at by NASA was John Young, one of the most accomplished astronauts in history, after he smuggled a corned-beef sandwich on Gemini 3.

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epPZL TIL You shouldn't use hot top water to drink or cook with, as it it much more likely to contain greater amounts of lead

WkXl8 TIL about the elephant bird that went extinct around 1000 -1200 BCE. The birds were so large they could reach the weight of 1,600 pounds and grow as tall as 9.8 feet. There eggs had a circumference of 35 inches. They once lived on Madagascar and the closest living relative is the Kiwi.

VBddm TIL in 1923, jockey Frank Hayes won a race at Belmont Park despite being dead. He had a heart attack mid-race but remained in the saddle as his horse crossed the finish line. He is the only dead man to win a race and it was the only win of his career.

DQX8V TIL the 1956 Banana Boat Song was based on real life in Jamaica, where workers would load ships during the cool night hours, then wait at dawn for their work to be counted so they could go home.

VMdaZ TIL The first openly gay celebrity was actor Billy Haines. In the 1920s, Haines was a silent film star with films like The Midnight Express, Little Annie Rooney, and Navy Blues. Haines, who was under contract with MGM, was told to marry a woman by MGM. He refused and never acted again.