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TIL that on 9 Nov 1979, NORAD thought the USSR had launched 2,200 nukes at the US and everyone was about to die

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p8Qxe TIL That Suzanne Vega's song, "Tom's Diner" was so clear, it was used to refine the MP3 compression algorithm.
d8GNE TIL in 1896, two locomotives were crashed on purpose as a publicity stunt. Two spectators were killed by the boiler explosion. The responsible agent was fired and reemployed on the next day because of lacking negative publicity.
W7w1B TIL: That Christine McVie wrote the song "Songbird" in just half an hour at around midnight, but didn't have anyone around to record it. To ensure she did not forget the chord structure and melody, McVie remained awake the entire night and played the song for producer Ken Caillat the next morning.
9xMQ TIL The best-selling video games of all-time in Japan are, in order: Pokemon, Pokemon, Mario, Mario, Pokemon, Pokemon, and Pokemon.
woNp1 TIL that the USS Monitor and the CSS Virginia (rebuilt using the engines and lower hull of the USS Merrimack) fought to a draw in the Battle of Hampton Roads in 1862, the first battle between two ironclad warships during the American Civil War.