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TIL that in 2012, a computer error caused all the fireworks in the San Diego's Fourth of July Celebration to go off at once, instead of over 18 minutes

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OGyBR TIL that in 1996, it’s believed that a wasp built a nest in a Boeing 757’s airspeed sensor. Due to faulty readings, the plane crashed and killed all 189 people on board.
E1Apw TIL that US and British colonization of remote islands was driven by demand for bird poop used as fertilizer and in manufacture of gun powder.
R7We9 TIL A motherboard manufacturer once built a cooling fan that uses the waste heat from the CPU to run.
xV980 TIL that during prohibition, the US government intentionally added lethal poison to industrial alcohols, knowing they were used by bootleggers and sold to the public. This federal poisoning program led to over 10,000 deaths.
6EkEX TIL after rumors that Yellow No. 5 lowered sperm count, some people increased their consumption of Mountain Dew as a form of contraception.