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TIL Russia attempted to send a satellite, Luna 15, to the moon to collect rocks and fire them back to Earth to beat the US in obtaining them first. In the end, Luna 15 crashed into the moon a safe distance away, just a few hours before Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin began their journey home.

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7rXwX TIL the British Voice Association conducted a highly technical acoustical analysis of Freddie Mercury’s voice based on interviews and recordings of his singing. Even after in-depth research, they were still unable to explain how Freddie physiologically achieved his incredible four-octave range.
D15Mp TIL that the final section of the U.S. government's report on 9/11 was classified when it was released, and remained so until 2016. This section stated that the 9/11 hijackers received funding from individuals connected to the Saudi government, which the U.S. had kept secret for 15 years.
nWXE9 TIL that McDonalds abandoned the Ronald McDonald gimmick, because of the 2016 clown scare.
n0Wo TIL Before Kelly Johnson designed the SR-71, he designed the first twin engine American fighter, the P-38 Lightning. Despite starting off with a terrible record, it ended up being used on all sorts of special missions, including bouncing a 500lb bomb through the front door of German Headquarters.
vPdw7 TIL: The Dutch version of Santa, Sinterklaas, instead of having elves he had Zwarte Piet, or "Black Pete", originally depicted as an enslaved demon, he helped distribute candy, take naughty children to Spain in burlap sacks, and deliver coal. In 2020, however, Zwarte Pete was gradually removed.