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TIL the brightest astronomical event was a near-earth supernova that occurred in 1006 A.D. It could be seen with the human eye, was said to be ¼th as bright as the moon, and was cited in texts all over the world at the time.

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QJdEe TIL when the writers of LOST were pitching the show to ABC, the network was very concerned about the show being too serialized and genre based so they lied to ABC that you could drop in and watch from any episode, the show would be shot on a soundstage and there will be "no ultimate mystery".
QNGLp TIL that in an unrivaled capacity to taunt the enemy US Army General Matthew Ridgway would stand in the middle of a road under heavy artillery fire and urinate to demonstrate his contempt for German accuracy. Aides and fellow generals repeatedly begged him to abandon this bravado. He ignored them.
9wKWB TIL Dr. August Bier, a German physician, pioneered spinal anesthesia using cocaine injections. To test its numbing effects, Bier injected cocaine into his assistant’s spine, beat his legs with hammers, pulled his testicles, drove a needle into his femur, and even ripped out his pubic hair.
Z8Nrp TIL that the Capital Records building in L.A. built in 1955 has 8 subterranean echo chambers - each with a unique sound - that music producers in studios in the floors above can send recorded music to and receive it back nearly instantly - and toggle between on the sound board.
jNZLE TIL that while they were originally thought to be white with black stripes because of their white belly, zebras are actually black (where the pigment is activated) with white stripes (where the pigment is inhibited) as shows embryological evidence