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TIL that in 1962, Operation Stargazer used a 12-1/2-inch reflecting telescope mounted on a high-altitude balloon, featuring gyroscopic stabilizing gear developed by MIT. This was the first mission to employ such technology for more accurate observations from the upper atmosphere.

Read more airandspace.si.edu

via reddit.com

awm1A TIL Queen Elizabeth II specifically asked to be in a James Bond skit with Daniel Craig for the Olympics, breaking royal protocol. When asked if she would like to say something she said, "Of course I must say something. After all, he is coming to rescue me."
kOJo1 TIL Salvador Dali's (Full name: Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech) parents told him he was the reincarnation of his brother who died 9 months before he was born. Dali believed this to be true, stating "We resembled each other like two drops of water, but we had different reflections."
Egvv7 TIL that Benjamin Franklin left about 1,000 pounds sterling in a trust for Boston and Philadelphia in his will. The money couldn’t be touched for 200 years. When it matured in the 1990s, Boston had over $5 million, which was used to fund scholarships and public works.
p88gG TIL that most above ground power lines have "Shield Wires" which are meant to ground lightning strikes or discharges from other lines
P1DE TIL there is a bar in NYC that mimics the stock market every night. The real time “drink ticker” allows the price of drinks to go up and down with the demand of certain beverages. You can play the market and get top shelf beverages very cheap when they hit the “bottom of the market”.