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TIL while Michael Collins was orbiting the moon, mission control warned of a problem with the shuttle's coolant system. Instead of fixing the problem manually as advised, he flicked the system's switch from auto to manual, then back to auto, and carried on with other chores. The issue self resolved.

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8erRZ TIL that a pillbug does not urinate. It expelled ammonia through its exoskeleton. It’s classified as a crustacean and not an insect. It turns purple or blue when fighting infections. It can feed on heavy metals with zero consequences.
wo8BY TIL, rogue waves are a relatively new scientifically accepted phenomena, with the first evidence of one occurring in 1995, prior to this they were largely believed to be a myth
mx7aP TIL the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is part of the Department of Commerce because President Nixon's Secretary of the Interior publicly criticized the administration's Vietnam War policy. Nixon punished him by putting the new agency under a different department.
mxjXO TIL while Benjamin Franklin was in Paris during the American Revolution, his secretary was a British spy. The spy used the cover of weekly letters about “gallantry” (exploits with women). He would write in-between the lines in a special ink and leave the letter in a dead drop every Tuesday night.
D1poD TIL the original Playstation startup sound is actually just 3 short and simple audio samples contained in the BIOS, played at different speeds and overlapped.