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TIL that during WW2 the British entertained the idea of building an aircraft carrier out of ice and wood pulp in order to fight German U-boats. They scrapped the idea after realizing they could just make airplanes fly farther instead. One admiral was accidentally shot during the development process.

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9EwQ TIL 1/3 of homeless people in the United States have schizophrenia or bipolar disorder (approx. 250,000 of 744,000).
X9e8 TIL Apple’s first computer, the Apple I, went on sale in 1976 for $666.66 - because Steve Wozniak liked repeating digits and found them easier to type. He said he was unaware of any Satanic connotations with the number
XExVR TIL of accidental Stereo Sound. Where by Two recorders with microphones in different positions captured both left and right audio of an artist’s recording session. Decades later these recordings were then merged together to give stereo sound, pre-dating true stereophonic sound by a good 20 years
rm11 TIL that the filming of The Godfather was disrupted by actual Mafia member Joe Colombo. Producer Al Ruddy met with him and reviewed the script, striking the word “Mafia” completely from the movie. Colombo and his pals also managed to elbow their way into casting and ended up as extras in the film.
7rLb TIL The longest free-fall in history was 102,800 feet, done by Joseph Kittinger. He fell from outer-space, reaching a speed of 614 mph.