› added 7 years ago

943

TIL that on D Day the crew of the Battleship USS Texas intentionally flooded a torpedo tube in order to cause a 2 degree list, giving their main guns just enough extra elevation to boost their range & hit the target on the mainland.

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neDZ9 TIL that Saddam Hussein was forced to watch his cameo in South Park repeatedly while in prison. The creators of the show were given a signed photo of him afterwards
5aOk TIL that slavery didn’t end after the Civil War. Until 1945, a system of neoslavery existed whereby African Americans could be arrested for not having jobs, then sold to companies like U.S. Steel through a “convict lease” system to do forced labor.
awKlZ TIL the Tuatara is neither lizard nor snake, but it's own distinct order that dates back 250,000,000 years, making them a "living dinosaur." They have a highly developed Parietal Eye on top of their head, connected to the brain, that allows them to sense differences in lights and shadows.
GY64Q TIL of the Mount Washington Devil’s Shingles. Workers who worked on the Mount Washington Cog Railway sometimes raced sleds down the 6,300 ft. mountain. One time a worker went from the summit to the base in 2 1/2 minutes, at points traveling as fast as 60-100 mph.
b6Ykj TIL the SodaStream as been around for 120 years, and first hit the consumer market in 1955