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TIL Astronomer George Ellery Hale, who built a 60" telescope and started a bigger 200" telescope, had an imaginary elf who acted as his advisor. His psychological problems got so bad it forced him to resign as director of Mount Wilson observatory

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MDmB TIL that in the movie “The Program” there was a scene where football players laid in the middle of the highway to prove they have nerves of steel as vehicles avoided them. In real life this stunt was copied but vehicles ran over each person instead of avoiding them.
b9wQQ TIL about a Swedish guy called Richard Handl that tried to build a nuclear reactor in his kitchen for months. He spent around 850 USD on equipment and one of his experiments involved boiling radioactive. He was only caught after he called the authorities asking if what he was doing is actually legal
1aYrr TIL: In the early days of railroads/railways, workers used “detonators” to warn the conductor and others of caution ahead on the tracks. The “detonator” was a charge placed on the rails that would produce a very loud bang when the train passed over it.
neRob TIL on Christmas Day 1914, British and German troops spontaneously decided on a truce during which they “shared cigars, good cheer, chocolate and, in more than one place, a game of soccer”.
wLB0M TIL that amber (the gemstone) is actually fossilized tree resin. Resin is semi-solid and acts as a defense response for a tree's immune system – for instance, sealing and sterilizing wounds.