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TIL When Apollo 11 astronauts Armstrong and Aldrin left the lunar lander to step onto the moon, one of them broke off the toggle switch that armed the ascent engines. Aldrin jammed a pen into the resulting hole to arm the engines so they could get home.

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E18K7 TIL that when you exercise, the burned fat metabolizes to become carbon dioxide, water, and energy. Meaning: you exhale the fat that you lose.
J1RAQ TIL that the North Star (Polaris) is younger than trees
D18lJ TIL about the "Third Defenestration of Prague". In 1618 three Catholic officials were thrown out of the window of Prague Castle by an angry mob of Protestants. This led to The Thirty Years' War - the deadliest war in European history.
XXRX TIL scientists in Berlin asked adults to play Super Mario 64 over a period of 2 months for 30 minutes a day. The group showed increases of grey matter, demonstrating “the direct causal link between video gaming and a volumetric brain increase.”
R7Y11 TIL the monarch in the UK cannot be prosecuted for any crime. In theory, this means somebody could murder their way up the chain of succession. Providing they are not caught before they become the monarch, they will be able to get away with it without any legal issues.