› added 7 years ago

113

TIL the Celebrity Jeopardy sketch from SNL was created purely as an excuse so Norm Macdonald could do his Burt Reynolds impersonation

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

0wN15 TIL of a science fiction novel by Dr. Wernher von Braun named "Project Mars: A Technical Tale". The novel, made in the late 1940s, describes Mars exploration. In this novel, Mars is inhabited by Martian civilization and the leader of the Martian government is entitled "Elon" (Chapter 24 on page 177)
yVZ6p TIL the Lincoln Highway (1910s) made driving across America easier. However, muddy or flooded roads were expected and drivers needed camping gear. The road guide included tips for each town. E.g. Fish Springs, Utah travelers could "build a sagebrush fire" for a local team to find/rescue them.
x6V0k TIL mathematician Kurt Godel starved himself to death for fear of being poisoned
Bgxdd TIL that there is a museum in Iceland devoted to penises. A 95-year-old man donated his penis to it after his death.
0KWj TIL the Cold War is credited to have started in Canada, after a Soviet Cipher Clerk defected to Canada and revealed Stalin’s attempts to steal nuclear secrets.