› added 5 years ago

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TIL David Gray's album, White Ladder, reached #1 in Ireland in January 2000, but it didn't reach #1 in the UK, where he's from, until August 2001.

xVEZo TIL - The inventor of the USB had originally intended for it to be flippable, however that idea was scrapped due to the extra cost. Despite USB becoming the standard, he still regrets that decision. "In hindsight, we blew it," he said.
Wk6G8 TIL About Desmond Doss, a non-combatant combat medic with an infantry company serving in World War II. At the Battle of Okinawa, he single handedly saved 75 mens lives, one at a time whilst under gunfire, becoming the only conscientious objector to receive the medal of honour for his actions.
xVV1B TIL of a ship known as the Mary Celeste, which was discovered adrift and deserted in the Atlantic. The last log entry was 10 days before her discovery and when another ship happened upon her, all of the provisions and belongings of the crew were perfectly intact, but the crew were all missing
Oa0L TIL that in the wake of the Civil War, some Confederate sympathizers fled the United States and founded colonies in Mexico and South America. Several thousand Southerners chose to settle in Brazil, where they established small villages with names like “Americana” and “New Texas.”
MZJW TIL that during a critical moment in the Apollo 13 mission the Soviet Union discontinued radio transmissions in the frequency bands used by Apollo to prevent radio interference