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TIL: A programmable HP-65 calculator was used as a backup in the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, in case the main system malfunctioned.

Read more airandspace.si.edu

via reddit.com

x6b5b TIL That the functional sleeve buttons on suit jackets nowadays trace their origins back to military surgeons as they would unbutton their sleeves to perform surgery to avoid staining their sleeves when attending to patients. Hence the apt term “Surgeon Cuffs”.
b9mVN TIL that art thieves posing as police officers stole 13 works valued at $500 million from the the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston in 1990. The stolen artwork include paintings by Rembrandt, Manet and Vermeer. The artwork hasn't been recovered, and empty frames hang in their place.
Mepbm TIL of Björn Again, a parody band of Swedish pop group ABBA. They sing in "Swenglish" and use the stage names of Agnetha Falstart, Benny Anderwear, Frida Longstokin, Björn Volvo-us, Rutger Sonofagunn, and Ola Drumkitt. They've played private parties for Bill Gates, Russel Crowe, and Vladimir Pootin.
m4go TIL King Charles VI of France really believed he was made out of glass.
v094 TIL that before filming LOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring, Jackson made the principal actors train for 6 weeks in sword fighting, riding and boating to allow the cast to bond. Later, most of the actors portraying the Fellowship got a tattoo with the Elvish symbol for the number 9.