› added 6 years ago

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TIL of the United Flight 811 disaster; a jumbo jet's cargo door blew out, tearing a hole dozens of feet wide in the plane's body, killing nine people, and destroying two engines with debris. Despite the heavy damage, the plane kept flying and the crew landed safely, saving 346 people.

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XErp8 TIL that 2 students were arrested and sentenced to 7 years in prison, in Portugal for "raising a toast to freedom" in 1960. The news of this inspired British lawyer Peter Benenson to lay down the foundation for one of the largest human rights organizations in the world, the Amnesty International.
9Par TIL that caterpillars literally melt down into a sac of fluid cells, which are used to create the entire body from scratch, forming a butterfly.
gMnpL TIL by Special Congressional edict, George Washington is considered the senior-most military officer of all time, meaning no other US military officer can ever outrank him.
ovoL TIL A smart phone’s nanotech based accelerometer can tell when it is being dropped and allow the phone to shut down parts of its hardware to protect it. That is why you see a lot of cracked glass on perfectly usable iPhones.
QJvja TIL San Marino claims to be the oldest extant sovereign state as well as the oldest constitutional republic by gaining independence from the Roman empire in 301.