› added 7 years ago

80

TIL Leonardo Da Vinci predicted the mass use of solar energy as long ago as 1447

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b9wMj TIL the US Confederacy only existed for 5 years. They officially formed in 1860 and collapsed in 1865 after its defeat in the US Civil War.
yPPv TIL “(You Gotta) Fight for your Right (to Party!)” by the Beastie Boys was written as a parody of other songs glorifying a partying lifestyle - an irony lost on many fans.
b61nE TIL when Uruguay's Luis Suárez was suspended for biting another player, Uruguayan President Jose Mujica called FIFA "sons of bitches" who meted out "fascist" treatments, while forgetting he was being filmed. Journalists then asked if they could publish his remark, to which he smiled and said yes
0wALj TIL Napoleon III's Y-chromosome (which is inherited father to son) does not match other member's of the Bonaparte family implying his legal father was not his father and he was not a Bonaparte. There had been rumors during his lifetime that he was illegitimate due his mother's affairs.
awYJN TIL while Michael Collins was orbiting the moon, mission control warned of a problem with the shuttle's coolant system. Instead of fixing the problem manually as advised, he flicked the system's switch from auto to manual, then back to auto, and carried on with other chores. The issue self resolved.