› added 11 years ago

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TIL that James Doohan who played Scotty in Star Trek was shot six times during D-Day by friendly fire. 4 times in his leg, once in his chest, and once in his right middle finger. A cigarette case stopped the round in his chest which most likely would have been fatal.

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4xDR TIL: Google Maps once generated a phantom town, Argleton, it appeared for job applicants, shops, real estate and had its own postcode.
rRd6W TIL that Charles Darwin wrote a list of pros and cons of marriage. Pros included "constant companion and a friend in old age... better than a dog anyhow". Cons included "less money for books". When he visited his future wife he forgot to propose because he was too busy telling her about evolution
oMbE TIL When Danny Glover first said the line, “I’m getting too old for this shit”, was back in 1987. He was 40 at the time.
x6JbB TIL that Mary Edwards Walker, the only female recipient of the Medal of Honor, was a surgeon, abolitionist, prisoner of war and freethinker who challenged traditional gender roles. She was also a pioneer in a Victorian dress reform movement called "rational dress" as seen in photographs of the time
GY88g TIL about the unusual phenomenon of "exploding trees." The trees explode when water in the tree's sap freezes. As the liquid hardens, it expands, eventually bursting the trees open emitting a gunshot-like pop. The exploding trees often bring down others with them, resulting in major damage.