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TIL that in 1961 a DC-8 airliner broke the sound barrier for 14 seconds while in a dive.

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Oorag TIL In 1942 some scientists theorized that detonating a nuclear bomb could produce such intense heat that it would cause a chain reaction which would set the atmosphere itself on fire, killing all life on Earth.
xVrrw TIL about the Opabinia, one of the strangest fossils ever discovered. It had five eyes on a flat, shrimp-like body without legs, was covered in chitinous scales and had a long, extensible mouhtpiece, like the one found in common houseflies, but much longer.
RVG7 TIL that Ronald McDonald is called Donald McDonald in Japan
GYoKE TIL Stradivarius, of violin fame, also made guitars. While there are hundreds of Stradivarius violins, there's only one remaining playable Stradivarius guitar left in the world.
QJ9xa TIL Dnieper Hydroelectric Station project used the experience gained from the construction of the Sir Adam Beck Hydroelectric Power Stations at Niagara Falls among others. Six American engineers were awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labour for it.