› added 3 months ago

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TIL that today, 122 years ago, the Wright brothers made the first powered flight at Kitty Hawk—Orville’s first flight lasted just 12 seconds and went 120 feet.

Read more airandspace.si.edu

via reddit.com

KOndE TIL Hans Zimmer is self-taught and has only had two weeks of piano lessons
ANEXd TIL in 1998 a man on Olympic Airways had an asthmatic reaction to cigarette smoke, so his wife asked 3 times that he be moved away from the smokers. At first, the flight attendant said there were no empty seats and later said she was too busy. The man eventually died & his widow was awarded $1.4m.
XEoDD TIL the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo, the 2nd largest eruption of the 20th century. The eruption injected large amounts of aerosols and dust into the stratosphere, reducing the amount of sunlight reaching the Earth's surface by 10%. It ultimately lowered temperatures worldwide by 0.7 °F
N7r1M TIL When his eight years as President of the United States ended on January 20, 1953, private citizen Harry Truman took the train home to Independence, Missouri, mingling with other passengers along the way. He had no secret service protection. His only income was an Army pension.
kmrm TIL: In 1973, a man tried to rob a bank in Kenora Ontario with dynamite strapped to his chest. A police sniper shot him, detonating the explosives and blowing him up. He has never been identified.