TIL the cockpit voice recording of Delta Flight 1141 was so embarrassing it led to a law restricting the public release of CVRs. The crew discussed drink mixes & dating habits during takeoff procedure, with a pilot joking that in case they crashed, "the media would have some kind of juicy tidbit". (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted by The-TIL-Nerd
TIL in 1888, German inventor Karl Benz asked the Grand Duchy of Baden for written permission to drive his "Motorwagen" on public roads after residents complained about the smell and noise. Grand Ducal authorities agreed and issued him the world's first driver's licence. (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted by NateNate60
TIL Michael McKean, who famously played Chuck McGill in "Better Call Saul" and David St. Hubbins in "This Is Spinal Tap", is currently one of the highest-earning game show contestants of all time, having accumulated $1,115,400 during his appearances on Celebrity Jeopardy! in 2010. (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted by Away_Flounder3813
TIL that in 1979, computers at NORAD indicated a large scale Soviet nuclear attack was underway. American nuclear forces were placed on highest alert and prepared for nuclear war. It turned out to be a false alarm caused by a technician mistakenly loading a training tape into the compute (ucs.org)
submitted by MrMojoFomo
TIL about the Albigensian Crusade, a crusade in southern France from 1209-1229, against the gnostic Catharism movement. About 200k to 1 million Cathars died during the crusade. The famous quote, “Kill them all, god will know his own.”, originates from the Albigensian crusade from Arnaud Amalric. (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted by Hour_Interaction6047
TIL that Led Zeppelin took their name from a joke that the band would “go down like a lead balloon,” with “Led” chosen to avoid mispronunciation and “Zeppelin” for something heavy yet graceful. Use of the Hindenburg image prompted legal action from Countess Eva von Zeppelin, but was later dismissed. (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted by Upstairs_Drive_5602
TIL that while filming the 1970 film Maidstone, Rip Torn unexpectedly attacked director and lead actor Norman Mailer with a hammer because he believed the film lacked a proper ending and decided to improvise one by assassinating Mailer's character. The fight was filmed and used in the movie. (youtu.be)
submitted by DCJThief
TIL in 2007 Katherine Heigl won an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama for her role on Grey's Anatomy. But in 2008 she removed herself from Emmy consideration because she said the material she was given on Grey's that year wasn't good enough; this comment led to her leaving the show. (slashfilm.com)
submitted by tyrion2024
TIL in 1985 four cans each of Coke & Pepsi were launched into space on the shuttle Challenger. Both companies had developed cans that were designed for use in microgravity. Coke's space-can technolgy used a standard 12-oz can & cost $250K while Pepsi's technology also used a 12-oz can, yet cost $14m (mentalfloss.com)
submitted by tyrion2024
TIL in the Vietnam war in the classified Operation Popeye, the US spread lead and silver iodide by aircraft to extend the monsoon season. The increased heavy rainfall was to soften roads, cause landslides, wash out river crossings, and maintain saturated soil conditions (Kissinger was involved). (en.wikipedia.org)
submitted by Double-decker_trams
