› added 6 years ago

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TIL that two rival churches in Greece hold a 'rocket war' annually during Easter, where tens of thousands of home-made rockets are fired at each other. This event was originally held with real cannons, until their use was prohibited in 1889.

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nmVP TIL during Delta Force hostage rescue training, the operators sometimes use live ammunition and the “hostages” are other Delta team members, in order to build trust and confidence among the team.
PYDkJ TIL Vegemite, a food spread made of leftover brewery yeast, was banned in some Australian prisons to prevent inmates from making moonshine. Also, because Vegemite's high concentration of ions and water can be used to conduct electricity, it's currently being researched to make edible medical sensors
lopY1 TIL of Project Valkyrie: a theorized lightweight interstellar spacecraft that could attain 92% lightspeed. Components are tethered, with the crew 10 km away from the antimatter engine. A system would spray liquid droplets in front of the craft to shield against interstellar dust particles.
Y77Gd TIL Based on the data from modern hunter-gatherer populations, it is estimated that at 15, life expectancy was an additional 39 years (total 54), with a 60% probability of reaching 15
16MbO TIL in a Florida ceremony honoring James Earl Jones on MLK Day in 2002, the plaque honoring the actor bore the assassin's name — James Earl Ray — thanking him for "keeping the dream alive"