› added 12 years ago

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TIL John Forbes Nash (of A Beautiful Mind fame) was admitted to graduate school on the strength of a one sentence recommendation letter from his advisor that read “This man is a genius”.

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eW7E TIL that 16-20% of google searches each day have never been searched before
XE5rP TIL that immediately before his execution on January 31, Guy Fawkes (perpetrator of the gunpowder plot) fell from the scaffold where he was to be hanged and broke his neck, thus avoiding the agony of being hanged, drawn and quartered. His lifeless body was nevertheless quartered.
YgEv TIL that in the 1950’s The United States military launched 480 million copper needles into space, effectively creating an artificial ionosphere. The needles were meant to be used to facilitate global communication. It was called Project West Ford.
9wWB7 TIL of Formula Easter, a Formula One-type racing series created specifically for drivers/constructors from the communist bloc
Zpx0Q TIL that during war, buildings of cultural significance like museums or churches can be protected by placing a blue shield symbol which is internationally recognised.