› added 5 years ago

1577

TIL in June 1942, LBJ was supposed to be an observer on the Wabash Cannonball, a B-26 bomber in the South Pacific. Before takeoff, LBJ left the plane to relieve himself. By the time he returned, his seat was taken, so he couldn't get back on. The Wabash wound up crashing, killing everyone on board.

Read more constitutioncenter.org

via reddit.com

jNkZv TIL in WW2 escape compasses for the RAF were sometimes hidden by being made to look like a button (unscrewing the top revealed the small compass). When the Germans found out, they changed to a reverse thread, so trying to unscrew the button the usual way tightened it instead, keeping it hidden.
9YrlD TIL that the great age of Caribbean piracy began in 1522 when French corsair Jean Fleury captured two Spanish ships on their way back to Spain from the new world, plundering more than $30 million worth of Aztec gold.
KOj4a TIL The first cat in space was a black and white stray named Félicette. She travelled on a French rocket Veronique and stayed 15 minutes in space. She returned safely home, before being euthanized by scientists to research the brain's activity after travelling to space.
x6lx5 TIL while writing "A Christmas Carol," Charles Dickens was "taking night-time walks of 15 to 20 miles (24 to 32 km) around London." to build out the story in his head.
9wMLm TIL: On 9 Nov, 1989, the Berlin Wall, that separated East and West Berlin since 1961, was opened after the East German government announced relaxed travel regulations. Thousands of people from both sides gathered at the wall, and the event marked a pivotal moment in the reunification of Germany.