› added 5 years ago

582

TIL Earth has a planetary protection officer, who is responsible for keeping invasive extraterrestrial species at bay

Read more astrobiology.nasa.gov

via reddit.com

xVwnD TIL of HMS Diamond Rock, which was commissioned as a Royal Navy warship despite being an uninhabited minor Caribbean island between Martinique and St. Lucia. Other British warships had to salute it when passing it.
RnpQ TIL when the Emperor Nero began to go nuts, he would stage long singing performances wherein the audience would not be allowed to leave. Women gave birth during these performances and men would fake their deaths in the hopes of being carried out just so they could get away.
egBk TIL 20th Century Fox gave up merchandising and sequel rights to Star Wars in exchange for Lucas accepting a $150,000 salary instead of $500,000. George Lucas made over $7 billion from Star Wars.
KOAa4 TIL: in 1860 there were more millionaires per capita in Lower Mississippi valley than anywhere else in the United States. At the same time the American slaves were worth somewhere around $3.5B making them the single biggest financial asset in the US.
XGX6 TIL that Vladimir The Great, Prince of Kiev, considered converting from Paganism to Islam. He sent envoys to study Islam, but upon hearing that Islam forbade alcohol and pork, he got baptized.