Today I Learned (TIL)

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/Algernon_Asimov on 2024-12-21 08:33:04.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/1000LiveEels on 2024-12-21 07:39:18.

Original Title: TIL during World War II, Allied prisoners of war in Colditz Castle built a full-size glider plane in the attic. The plan was to cut a hole in the roof from the attic and then fly the plane to safety. It never flew, but it was completed shortly before the POWs were liberated.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/BadenBaden1981 on 2024-12-21 07:38:22.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/altrightobserver on 2024-12-21 06:03:57.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/altrightobserver on 2024-12-21 05:48:24.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/OperationSuch5054 on 2024-12-20 13:26:17.

Original Title: TIL In 1967, a rocket from an F-4 Phantom was accidentally fired on the deck of the USS Forrestal due to a power surge. The rocket struck the fuel tank of an A-4 Skyhawk, causing a fire which then detonated the aircraft bombs. 21 aircraft were lost, 40 damaged and 167 sailors killed.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/SimRP on 2024-12-21 04:05:35.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/GetYerHandOffMyPen15 on 2024-12-21 03:57:09.

Original Title: TIL that Walt Disney referred to the opening day of Disneyland as “Black Sunday.” The temperature was 101 °F (38 °C), people with counterfeit tickets flooded the park, the water fountains didn’t work, women’s shoes sunk into the asphalt, and people hurled their children over crowds to get on rides.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/CreeperRussS on 2024-12-21 03:56:03.

Original Title: TIL That in 1992, a man named William Brennan, a cashier, walked out of the Stardust Casino in Vegas with 500k+ in stolen cash and chips. He and the money were never found, and he was removed from the FBI's Most Wanted list in 2006 when Stardust was closed.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/manonaplanet on 2024-12-21 03:28:47.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/NapalmBurns on 2024-12-21 02:22:50.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/WouldbeWanderer on 2024-12-21 02:18:42.

Original Title: TIL that in 1956, IBM released it's first "hard drive" called RAMAC—short for Random Access Method of Accounting And Control—which held less than 5 megabytes of storage and occupied an entire room. RAMAC was leased for $3,200 a month, the equivalent of $28,000 in 2016.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/leftcoastbumpkin on 2024-12-19 20:12:02.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/piponwa on 2024-12-20 07:50:55.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/appalachian_hatachi on 2024-12-20 07:13:13.

Original Title: TIL: That of the eight finalists from the 1988 Olympic men's 100m final, eventual bronze medalist Calvin Smith was the only athlete to never fail a drug test during his career. Smith later said: "I should have been the gold medalist."

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/Unhappy_Trade7988 on 2024-12-20 04:25:12.

Original Title: TIL the jury in trial for Snowtown serial killer John Bunting were banned from listening to ‘Throwing Copper’ by the band ‘Live’ because Bunting played it to his victims as he tortured and killed then in his bathtub.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/lichenousinfanthog on 2024-12-20 02:29:59.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/MajesticBread9147 on 2024-12-19 15:17:05.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/Double-decker_trams on 2024-12-19 15:05:41.

Original Title: TIL although the Walther PPK is more known for being the gun James Bond uses ("Ian Fleming's choice of Bond's weapon directly influenced the popularity and notoriety of the PPK"), it was also the same gun that Hitler used to commit suicde

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/jxp497 on 2024-12-20 01:56:07.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/ralphbernardo on 2024-12-20 01:34:49.

Original Title: TIL that NASA's Apollo 12 mission was struck by lightning twice during launch, 36.5 and 52 seconds after liftoff on Nov. 14, 1969. The mission continued successfully thanks to flight controller John Aaron's quick thinking—resetting a crucial system and allowing the crew to safely reach the moon.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/kehillah on 2024-12-20 01:23:33.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/Ill_Definition8074 on 2024-12-20 01:20:43.

Original Title: TIL In 2010, Greg Fleniken was found dead inside his locked Texas hotel room. He had no obvious external injuries but massive internal damage. His death was ruled a homicide. After an 8-month investigation, it was found that a drunk guest in the next room accidentally shot Fleniken in the scrotum.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/1000LiveEels on 2024-12-20 01:18:33.

Original Title: TIL that many of the first giant sequoia trees discovered by western explorers were cut down and exhibited at World's Fairs. Due to the sheer size of the trees, many fair attendees claimed they were hoaxes.

The original post: /r/todayilearned by /u/DietDrBleach on 2024-12-20 01:08:25.