› added 6 years ago

97

TIL that the practice of touching/knocking on wood after making an positive observation about your life, to ward off bad luck or "jinxing" yourself, is spread across completely separate countries and cultures on every continent

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11gO TIL When the Soviets allowed the Chinese to produce their own copies of the Mig-21, the Soviet design had so many flaws that the Chinese had to make nearly 250 changes to the design to overcome flaws or incomplete design documentation.
MeRZm TIL that there is a foundation devoted solely to researching ways that humanity can reduce suffering of future generations.
wLMM8 TIL an Algerian Muslim saved over 500 Jews and Resistance fighters during WWII by providing false papers stating they were Muslim.
J1Nym TIL that due to an error at the 1932 Summer Olympics, the 3,000 meter steeplechase went on for 460 meters (1 lap) longer than intended.
NXedN TIL Although Laika is commonly perceived as the first animal in space, this is not the case. The very first animals sent into space were fruit flies on board of a V-2 rocket launched by the US. They returned to Earth alive.