› added 10 years ago

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TIL that NASA is well on its way to developing a reactionless propulsion system for spacecraft.

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e0vYb TIL that in 1968 the french author and résistance hero Romain Gary challenged Clint Eastwood to a duel after he learned that Eastwood had an affair with his wife, the actress Jean Seberg
Zpwm4 TIL that Andrew Watson was the first professional black football player, accepting a paid position at Bootle FC from 1887, and prior to that he was also the first black international player, having captained the (amateur) Scotland national team in 1881
oBrKr TIL that term "Argr" was the worst, most derogatory swearword of all known to the Norse language. According to Icelandic law, the accused was expected to kill the accuser at once.
7rvgb TIL The song '(She's a) Brick House' was written after the band (The Commodores) couldn't come up with lyrics to the funky riff. The wife of the record's producer wrote the lyrics one night and the band loved it. She never got official credit but the band has publicly acknowledged her as the writer
m1nLR TIL 1816 was the "Year Without a Summer," due to very low temperatures. People believed the Sun was about to extinguish as large Sunspots were visible on it's surface, spreading doomsday panic. In actuality, the cause was due to Mt Tambora, the largest volcanic eruption in human history.