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TIL the Soviets were trying to collect rock samples from the Moon with a probe at the exact same time the Appolo 11 mission was taking place in 1969. While Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong were walking on the Moon, their probe malfunctioned and crashed into the surface miles away from them.

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gMQ1L TIL that eccentric aviator Howard Hughes once paid a gas station employee $156 million after he found Hughes, disheveled and dirty, lying on the highway, and drove him back to his hotel
XE9pj TIL Johann Trollmann who was a gypsy boxing champion put in a labour camp in Nazi Germany, was forced to fight against a feared ex-criminal and prison guard and won despite being malnourished and exhausted. The still bitter prison guard sought revenge by murdering Johann with a shovel later.
wLW9Y TIL In 1982, Heinz-Josef Große, a 34 year old East German construction worker at the Inner German border attempted to escape with the help of his backhoe. He breached various obstacles including the border fence only to be cut down halfway up a hill just several feet/meters from West German soil.
b9d84 TIL about 'the Tridge', a three legged wooden footbridge that spans the confluence of the Chippewa and Tittabawassee Rivers in Chippewassee Park in Midland, Michigan. The three legs span out to Chippewassee Park, St. Charles Park and the Farmer's Market areas.
neAjB TIL The Salton Sea was once a popular resort visited by celebrities, and California's most productive fishery. It became polluted by agricultural runoff, causing large die-offs of birds and fish. It's now drying up, and airborne dust from the exposed lake bed threatens the health of millions.