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TIL that the word 'disaster' literally means "bad star", and is derived from Italian 'disastro' (from 'dis-', expressing negation + 'astro', meaning star). The sense is astrological, of a calamity blamed on an unfavorable position of a planet

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P1Ogw TIL that before the atomic bomb attack on Hiroshima, a B29 weather reconnaissance plane called Straight Flush flew over the city to determine if conditions were favourable. Its pilot, Claude Eatherly later expressed remorse, received psychiatric hospitalisation, and engaged in anti-nuclear activism.
1a0RV TIL Tyler the chimp that attacked a lady's face, had xanax in his system.
nVPr TIL UFO sightings have reduced by over 80% since the introduction of smartphones and public access to HD video
BrWZL TIL half of your brain stands guard when you sleep in a new place for the first time.
WJKA TIL there is an extremely effective, reversible, cheap, simple, and long-term birth control procedure for men in phase III clinical trials in India