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TIL that Laika is not the first animal to travel into space. The title actually goes to a bunch of fruit flies aboard a V2 rocket launched in 1947. They were later recovered alive.

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JYNjv TIL when Adolf Eichmann was tried in Israel for his actions in the Holocaust, it was necessary to modify Israeli law to allow a team of foreign lawyers to defend him, since no Israeli lawyer would.
VBnOQ TIL: That 4/20 is also National Pineapple Upside-down Cake Day.
Z45a TIL in 1965, seeds that were dated to 2,000 years old were discovered in an ancient jar in Israel. The seeds were kept in storage for 40 years and after they were planted, a tree that had been extinct for over 1800 years sprouted.
l79kV TIL in 1054, Chinese records reported a “new star bright enough to be seen in the daytime”. They were actually witnessing the supernova explosion that created the Crab Nebula 6,500 light-years away.
xWab TIL German animal protection law prohibits killing of vertebrates without proper reason. Because of this ruling, all German animal shelters are no-kill shelters.