› added 12 years ago

120

TIL that Great Britian still owes 30 Hawker Hurricanes to Latvia. Latvia ordered and paid for them before the 2nd World War.

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via reddit.com

x6Pg TIL that Napoleon Bonaparte and Benjamin Franklin lost chess games to an 18th century wooden robot with a chessmaster hiding inside.
8Z8X TIL that there is a store in Alabama where you can buy items found in unclaimed airport baggages
x604D TIL that MGM execs referred to Judy Garland as an “ugly duckling” and "little hunchback," made her wear caps on her teeth and rubber disks in her nose, often fed her a diet of chicken soup and coffee to ensure she didn’t gain weight, and allegedly gave her amphetamines and barbiturates as a child.
69WaJ TIL a McDonnell Douglas DC-10 plane was flown past its design limits, rotating nearly upside down (140°) and reaching speeds the gauges couldn't measure. It also landed 35k lbs/16k kgs over the maximum landing weight. However, the plane soldiered on for 28 more years after repairs.
xVRD7 TIL about 'Pluto Lamps', Victorian Era street lights that sold hot coffee and soup.