› added 7 years ago

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TIL a group of small (1 mm) adult Caenorhabditis elegans worms, living in petri dishes enclosed in aluminum canisters, survived reentry and impact with the ground and were recovered weeks after the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster on February 1, 2003, found alive on April 28 of the same year.

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YpYOZ TIL that during WW2 an operation to destroy German heavy water plant (in captured Norway) had to delayed as a cooperative Norwegian caretaker was missing his spectacles, the bomb fuse was lit only after caretaker specs were found (as during the war, new eyeglasses were nearly impossible to obtain).
v1gLK TIL that some German authorities still accept the Ariernachweis (Aryan certificate), which certified that a person was a member of the Aryan race, as proof of nationality since it has accurate birth and marriage data.
R5V4 TIL that North Koreans who defect to South Korea get $10,000 to $28,000 “start up money.
KOJx9 TIL The United States Air Force has an official rock band called “Max Impact”
mVeP TIL underage drinking is allowed in 29 states if done on private premises with parental consent