› added 2 years ago

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TIL about the Braunschweig meteorite, a 1.3kg meteorite that hit a concrete path in Germany, leaving a 3cm deep/7cm wide crater.

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gMy08 TIL after a passenger airline was shot down after accidentally entering Soviet airspace, President Ronald Reagan decided to authorize the U.S. military’s satellite-based global positioning system (GPS) for civilian use in order to prevent similar tragedies.
4Xkv5 Actually, many species of ducks have feet—and legs!—tinted a bluish green or gray. But for the ducks that do have orange feet, well, it's all about attracting the ladies. Chicks dig orange.
mxenM TIL the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006 was intended to help the USPS be more competitive. The provision for funding in advance health benefits for retirees was added because the Bush White House threatened to veto the bill without it.
w7P7 TIL that doctors in Ancient Rome used an early form of electrotherapy to successfully treat neurological conditions such as epilepsy and migraines. They administered the charges by placing electric torpedo fish on the patient’s head.
OG9ge TIL Big Ben has a Prison Room. Last time it was used as a prison room was in 1880, when a newly elected atheist member of Parliament refused to swear an oath to the Queen.