› added 4 years ago

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TIL that the first ever Ironman Triathlon was won by US Navy Communications Specialist Gordon Haller. The runner-up John Dunbar, a US Navy Seal, was winning after the second transition but lost his lead when he ran out of water and his support crew started giving him beer instead.

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wL488 TIL that the Red Carpet at the entrance of the Oscars is not a traditional red: it has its own unique shade called "Academy Red" that is closer to burgundy
6E6MZ TIL Viggo Mortensen purchased the horse he rode in "Lord of The Rings." The horse had a hard time adjusting to the lights and sounds on set and it took a while for them to get in sync. "We got through it together and became friends. I wanted to stay in touch with him," said Viggo.
kJvK1 TIL the earliest description of the heliocentric model dates back to Ancient Greece. Aristarchus of Samos (c.310–c.230 BC) described the Earth spinning on its axis once per day and orbiting a fixed Sun. He also thought that stars were other suns much further away.
Lygm TIL that a pilot named Tommy Fitz stole a plane from a New Jersey airport in order to land on a Manhattan street. Twice. Both landings were pulled off in incredibly narrow areas, in the dark, and after a night of drinking.
P1Qjn TIL that Pythagoras was not the first in record to come up with the idea that the Earth is round due to the shape of the moon. It is not known if Pythagoras actually said this. This is a clerical error made by Thomas Heath in 1915, and has been perpetuated by BBC, NASA and Encyclopedia Britannica.