› added 10 years ago

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TIL of a tragic literal Death by PowerPoint – Boeing’s analysis of damage to Space Shuttle Columbia was obscured by terrible PowerPoint slides, leading NASA officials to OK the fatal reentry.

Read more edwardtufte.com

via reddit.com

Rjr1 TIL Swedish millionaire Johan Eliasch purchased 400,000 acres of the Amazon Rainforest from a logging company for $14,000,000 for the sole purpose of its preservation.
X07R8 TIL that Astrud Gilberto made just $120 for singing The Girl from Ipanema, which was the standard studio musician rate at the time. This was because Stan Getz personally intervened to ensure she got nothing.
EgkNp TIL about the 2007 South Korea oil spill, one of the worst oil spill in SK, had over a million volunteers joined in on the campaign to clean the disaster in less than 3 months.
GYYdJ If your car is a diesel, it will run.
5EkP TIL in 1974 Paul McCartney and John Lennon watched SNL in John’s apartment when Lorne Michaels offered $3000 to get the Beatles back together. The two seriously considered going to the studio just a few blocks away but decided it was too late. This was the last time the two would ever be together.