Today

NXJjP TIL that Ken Allen, an orangutan at the San Diego Zoo, became famous for his many successful escapes. After he escapes he would peacefullt stroll around the zoo looking at the other animals. He never acted aggressively toward patrons, but would throw rocks at Otis, another orangutan he 'despised'
rNbVw TIL of Minor Scale, an explosion that contained 4,744 tons of fuel oil and ammonium nitrate. Detonated on June 27, 1985 to simulate the effect of an eight-kiloton air-burst nuclear device, it was reported as “the largest planned conventional explosion in the history of the free world".
BgYbW TIL that mother quokkas will drop their babies to escape predators, literally sacrificing them as a distraction.
Y7bjZ TIL during WW2, UK built decoy sites to divert bombers from the high priority industrial target sites. At the "Special Fire' sites - nicknamed Starfish – dedicated crews used controlled fires and lighting effects to simulate burning targets and industrial activity.
Eg7b0 TIL that the only survivor of the 1961 Bluebelle murders was an 11-year-old girl who drifted for 82 hours without food or water before being rescued.
kJb9d TIL as prey animals, horses are naturally skittish and jumpy so their trainers have to coach them not to get spooked so easily, a process called "Desensitization"
786bO TIL Some studies on drunk driving have found that a BAC of 0.01%-0.04% correlates with lower accident risk than being completely sober. This is called the Grand Rapids dip, and is a quirk of statistics.
Zpbj4 TIL the name of the video game "Doom" (1993) comes from a quote said by Tom Cruise's character in the film "The Color of Money" (1987). The quote in question is "What you got in there? / In here? Doom.".
a8bjM TIL about Spring-heeled Jack; a "devil-like" entity that terrorized Victorian Britain
KY1jG TIL a 2014 study involving nearly 1,300 full-time U.S. workers found that Americans who work full-time average working 47 hours a week.
dDgj9 TIL in 3rd century CE Rome, snow was imported from the mountains, stored in straw-covered pits, and sold from snow shops
oR05Y TIL at the beginning of British rock band Jethro Tull's career, they randomly changed their band name for almost every gig as they had trouble getting repeat bookings. Jethro Tull was the name they just happened to be using when they received label attention, and singer Ian Anderson regrets it.