› added 5 years ago

77

TIL that in 1973 the Irish Republican Army (IRA) hijacked a helicopter, flew to Mountjoy Prison in Dublin, landed in the exercise yard and helped three volunteers escape. It was dubbed 'the escape of the century' and made headlines around the world

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nA5W TIL Kars4Kids donations go to a Jewish charity that sends kids on heritage trips to Israel
6A08 TIL Titanic’s fourth funnel was fake, added to make the ship look more powerful (and symmetrical). A bit like putting a dummy exhaust on a car.
b9KE7 TIL that the first public demonstration of a one-way videophone occurred on April 7, 1927, between Herbert Hoover (then U.S. secretary of commerce) in Washington, D.C., and officials of AT&T in New York City. This was followed by the first demonstration of a two-way videophone, on April 9, 1930.
nMxP TIL Dropping molten glass into cold water produces a tadpole-like shape whose head can withstand hammer blows, but which explodes violently if it’s tail is damaged
nepxr TIL A thin layer of gold on NASA astronaut's helmet visor fends off dangerous effects of solar radiation. Satellite microelectronics that instantaneously relay data around the globe also depend on gold components to ensure reliable, corrosion-resistant and static-free performance.