› added 7 years ago

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TIL, Astronomer Harlow Shapley, confused about what to study, decided to take the first class listed in university’s catalog. Unable to pronounce “archaeology,” he skipped to the next listing “astronomy.” He went on to become one of the famous 20th century astronomers.

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EE7 TIL that British people used to have American sounding accents, not the other way around
nO5d TIL: “Go fever” is a term used by NASA to describe a few of their major disasters (Apollo 1/Challenger/Columbia). It describes a culture that develops when costs have mounted, and dissent is suppressed or ignored (due to group members not wanting to be seen as committed to the team’s progress).
W79KB TIL in 1981, Neil Armstrong denied MTV’s request to use his likeness and “One small step” quote as part of its Moonman station identification opening sequence. The part was modified with background music and a series of beeps.
l75rG TIL that before 1933 King Kong film came out, a novel based on the screenplay was released as part of the advertising campaign, which is opposite of more common route of films that start as novels before being adapted into a screenplay
e0Dp5 TIL That Presidential candidate Andrew Jackson was the first Democrat ever to be associated with the donkey symbol. His opponents during the election of 1828 tried to label him a "jackass" for his populist beliefs. Jackson was entertained by the notion and ended up using it on his campaign posters.