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TIL that upon returning to Earth and landing in a field, Yuri Gagarin was asked by an astonished woman if he had come from Outer Space, to which he replied “As a matter of fact, I have!”

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DQx4V TIL the main reason for dimming the lights during takeoff and landing is not to create a cozy atmosphere on the plane, but rather to allow the eyes to adjust to the outside light conditions in case of an emergency evacuation.
5Vr0R TIL the most catastrophic accident in motorsports was in 1955 during the 24 Hours of Le Mans race. About 80 to 84 people died and 120 to 178 people were injured when a Mercedes rear-ended another car at 200 km/h (125 mph), jumped the berm and landed into the crowd.
kR8B TIL that the Ancient Romans would piss on their clothes (or let strangers relieve themselves in a bowl and collect the urine), let it break down into ammonia, mix it with water and stir the mixture with their feet to clean their laundry.
rRoEM TIL about Ashvamedha, a ritualistic horse sacrifice in ancient India where a horse is allowed to wander for 1 year protected by the king's guards. If no rivals manage to kill or steal the horse after a year, it is returned and sacrificed in the city capital, legitimizing the soverignty of the king.
Erbw TIL - The highest blood alcohol content ever recorded was .91%, more than twice the typical lethal limit and eleven times more than legally drunk.