› added 4 months ago

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TIL that Christine Jorgensen, a former WWII GI, became the first American widely known to undergo gender-affirming surgery in the early 1950s, later becoming a public figure and advocate.

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wLYoP TIL that a 95-year-old war veteran saved his abandoned village in Taiwan from demolition by covering the entire settlement with colorful painted-characters. "Rainbow Village" is now a protected cultural site and tourist destination.
yQ1LV TIL The owner of a $169 Million condo in NYC in Billionaire's Row has never stepped foot in the building, considers it an investment. The super slim skyscrapers that make up Billionaire's Row sit empty most of the time as many of the owners of the units have 7 or 8 other houses they rotate living in
ANpOn TIL the Nokia 9000 Communicator was the first mobile phone with dial-up internet
e0aKk TIL Hubble watched a failed supernova turn into a black hole before its very eyes. These so-called "massive fails" (seriously) are thought to occur when the core of a star is so huge its exploding shell of gas cannot escape, and instead collapses back in on itself.
KOaQ9 TIL All of New York City's water comes in through 2 large tunnels underground. A 3rd tunnel is being built under NYC. Construction on the 3rd tunnel began in 1970 and is one of the most complex and intricate engineering projects in the world.