› added 9 years ago

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TIL that in 1965, NASA tested out the effects of being in a vacuum on dogs which resulted in “simultaneous defecation, projectile vomiting and urination. They suffered massive seizures. Their tongues were often coated in ice and the dogs swelled to resemble an inflated goatskin bag”

jGXp TIL In 1981 American Airlines saved roughly $500,000 by removing the olives from salads. Soon afterward, an association of olive growers found out, and threatened to boycott the airline if olives were not restored. AA agreed, and stocked them onboard for passengers who requested them.
4XaQJ TIL That H. R. Giger's Name Is Pronounced Geegur Not Gaigur
R76ml TIL space shuttles' main engines burn cryogenic propellant at ~3500K (hot enough to boil iron). They are fueled by cooling channels built-in to the nozzles themselves, which simultaneously cool the nozzle at a steady state while fueling the engine.
ADwvo TIL Joseph Kennedy threatened to sue ABC for revealing that his son John F. Kennedy's Pulitzer-prize winning book Profiles in Courage was ghost-written. They retracted the story. The book wasn't considered for the prize until Joe convinced a boardmember to persuade others to vote for it.
Oob56 TIL the Tourette Association of America initially feared South Park’s release of their Tourettes episode, but ended up being surprised at how accurate and well-researched the show was on the condition. The only thing they critiqued was the frequent use of “coprolalia” or rampant swearing.