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TIL about the solar storm of 2012, where a wave of charged plasma particles ejected from the sun narrowly missed Earth. Had it hit, the geomagnetic disturbance would have caused global damage to electronic systems with costs estimated in the trillions

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OGMeX TIL: The Tully Monster, a prehistoric animal so bizarre that scientists still can't agree on how to classify it.
XE0BQ TIL Christopher Columbus was stuck in Jamaica with angry natives refusing to give him food. Knowing that a lunar eclipse was going to happen, Columbus told the natives that his gods were angry for refusing him food. After the eclipse, the scared natives gave him lots of food and begged for mercy.
OoEK1 TIL Nobel Chemistry winner Theodor Svedberg developed the technique of analytical ultracentrifugation, and demonstrated its utility in distinguishing pure proteins one from another
5pD TIL Robin Williams originally rejected the role of the Genie in Aladdin until he was shown an animation of the Genie doing his own stand-up routine.
LkOXv TIL when Spielberg showed John Williams the a cut of ‘Schindler’s List,’ the composer became so moved that he could barely speak and had to step out for a few minutes. When he returned, he told Spielberg the film deserved a better composer to which Spielberg replied, “I know, but they’re all dead.”