› added 6 months ago

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TIL Helium was detected on the sun before it was detected on Earth. That's why it was named for Helios, the Greek god of the sun.

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via reddit.com

Lgav TIL that James Cameron sold the rights to The Terminator for $1, with the condition that he (Cameron) would direct it.
ZRrG TIL that in 1967 Vladimir Komarov became the first to die during a space mission. Reportedly he knew the mission would fail but went up anyway to save anyone else from dying. A final recording exists where he curses his commanders for ignoring his warnings as he burns up in re-entry
KRRE TIL of a 1993 proposal to build a giant advertising billboard in outer space that would appear roughly the same size and brightness as the moon. The project didnt meet funding and inspired a bill to ban all advertisement in outer space.
R7Grl TIL On January 13, 1920, a New York Times editorial said rockets could never work in space because in a vacuum there was nothing for them to push against. The paper later said it regretted the error.
dDWZj TIL Asiatic lions "do" live in the jungle.