› added 11 years ago

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TIL: In 2011, a pair of managers from Dominos set fire to a Papa Johns to boost their sales

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yQKyw TIL that a massive solar flare in 2012 barely missed earth (by mere days). Had it hit, the power grid would likely have failed, causing unprecedented devastation. Scientists recently determined that it was of similar magnitude as the 1859 Carrington Event.
78Apr TIL that Nabisco is short for the somewhat dryly named National Biscuit Company.
7rLb TIL The longest free-fall in history was 102,800 feet, done by Joseph Kittinger. He fell from outer-space, reaching a speed of 614 mph.
0Wj1 TIL that Teddy Roosevelt’s son, Ted, was awarded the Medal of Honor for leading the first wave of US Soldiers attacking Utah Beach on D-Day. He volunteered for the assignment and had to walk with a cane due to WWI injuries and a heart condition. He was the oldest man in the first wave at age 56.
0d9R1 TIL: Orban, a Hungarian iron founder, originally offered to cast giant cannons for the Byzantines, who couldn't afford it. The Ottomans could, and proceeded to level Constantinople's walls with said cannons.