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On December 8, 1963, a lightning bolt hit the left wing of Pan American Flight 214, heading from Puerto Rico to Philadelphia. The bolt ignited the fuel stored in the plane’s reserve tank, causing an explosion and part of the wing to separate from the plane. The whole thing came crashing down, and all 81 passengers were killed.

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With the appearance of a spooky red haze some 50 miles high in the air, this phenomenon, known as “red sprites,” is caused by positive lightning.

As Popular Science explains, “The sprites’ red color likely comes from those ions smashing into molecules in the air. Similar to the aurora, the charged particles excite nitrogen, hydrogen, and oxygen. The gases eventually settle down and release that energy, some of it in the form of pretty colors.”

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The $78 million Atlas-Centaur 67 rocket, launched in poor weather conditions in March 1987, was struck by a lightning bolt 49 seconds after launch, causing its controls to fail and the rocket to start falling apart. The rocket’s debris landed in the ocean and near the shore, where it burned holes. Luckily, it wasn’t a manned vessel, so the disaster resulted in zero casualties.

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The Varsity restaurant is an Atlanta staple, as well as a world-record holder. A hot-spot for fast food since 1928, the world’s largest drive-in restaurant can accommodate around 600 cars at one time.

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Where do the Amish go on vacation? Pinecraft, a neighborhood in Sarasota, Florida. For nearly a century now, Amish families from all over the country travel down to Florida to get a taste of the sunny atmosphere. Most are shuttled down in specialized charter buses, and the strict rules of the Amish community are loosened for the sake of a beach vacation.

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Mythbusters tried using Coca-Cola as a chrome cleaner and found when used with aluminum foil it did a better job than the leading chrome cleaner.

Anyone ever try this?

No, but I can confirm that chrome cleaner tastes terrible, especially with aluminum foil.

K

Pan Am had an incident where the number 4 engine exploded after takeoff. The wing caught fire and most of the wing outboard of that engine separated. The plane did land safely at Travis Air Force Base. Ironically, Pan Am sent another 707 to Travis to pick up the passengers and that plane’s nose gear collapsed on landing. They sent a third plane to Travis that eventually got the passengers on their way. Here’s an actual photo from the cabin.