› added 11 years ago

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TIL the Sochi Olympics are being held on the 150th anniversary of the Circassian Genocide, and the alpine events are being held directly on the graves of thousands of Circassians

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via reddit.com

VBnjZ TIL about Kessler syndrome, the scenario where there are so many objects in low Earth orbit that they collide with each other and create even more debris. In response, the FCC requires all satellites to enter a "graveyard orbit" at the end of their operational lives.
wQGo TIL Aristarcus of Samos became the first to suggest the idea that the Sun was the center of the known Universe in 300 BC. It was subsequently quickly forgotten.
XEADk TIL that the oldest Boeing 747 still in active operation today first flew 1 week prior to man first stepping foot on the moon.
R7rkQ TIL Paul Simon thanked Stevie Wonder for not releasing an album that year in his acceptance speech for the 1976 Best Album Grammy. Stevie had won the previous two years, and would, indeed, win again in 1977.
d8DZE TIL that once WWII ended, ethnic German civilians fell victim to mass-murders, mass-rapes, torture, and forced labor all throughout Europe.