› added 11 years ago

613

TIL that the illegal landing of a “mentally unstable” 19 year old amatuer pilot in the Red Square inadvertantly helped lead to the fall of the Soviet Union, and the end of the Cold War.

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v1d0r TIL the U.S. military is the largest purchaser of explosive devices in the world. The second largest purchaser is The Walt Disney Company.
QN97M TIL about the "Battle Of The Beams", a period in WW2 when the Luftwaffe used a number of increasingly accurate systems of radio navigation for night bombing, and the British fought back with a variety of their own increasingly effective means, involving jamming and deception signals.
04VL TIL in 1955, a plaster buddha statue more than 600 years old was dropped during an attempt to move it to a new location. After some of the plaster coating was chipped off, it was revealed that the plaster was covering a statue made of solid gold.
dZpB TIL - Maggot therapy is still used in the United States, and is considered a prescription only medical device by the FDA.
jR5j TIL That the USA is the number one oil producing country in the world.