› added 8 years ago

299

TIL In 1944 Russia captured an American B-29 bomber. Stalin demanded exact clones be made for the Russian air force. A small hole was found on the left wing of the captured aircraft as a result of a manufacturing mistake. All Russian TU-4 bombers included the unnecessary hole in the left wing.

Y7Kpd TIL that over 700 large ships were lost between 2014 and 2023. This is a major decrease from the 1990s where over 200 vessels were lost per year.
GYBNN TIL that writer Isaac Asimov and Star Trek creator Gene Rodenberry died with six months of each other. Asimov helped saved Star Trek from cancellation by writing a fan letter to TV Guide saying it was a "fresh and intellectually challenging science fiction television show". His daughter was a fan.
xVbbD TIL Bob The Builder was planned to be reshot for Japanese audiences due to all characters possessing four fingers instead of five. Members of the Yakuza, Japan's "most feared mafia" cut off their pinky to show they can be trusted, so Bob and his friends looked more like gangsters than contractors.
0wJ8j TIL - A Box Social is a tradition where women fill a box with a meal and men bid on the box with the expectation to share the meal with the woman whose box it is. It is typically used as a fundraiser.
5VJnp TIL famed B-Movie director and cross-dresser Ed Wood served with the US Marines during WWII. He later said he feared being wounded more than killed as a combat medic would then discover him wearing a pink bra and panties under his uniform during the Battle of Tarawa.