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TIL of the Lockheed bribery scandals. Starting in the 1950s, officials of Lockheed, the aerospace company, bribed many influential individuals including a Dutch prince, a Japanese mob boss and a Saudi Arabian arms dealer in order to negotiate favourable deals. The bribes were exposed in the 1970s.

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7wGx TIL that Batman: The Animated Series contains a not-so-subtle jab at Joel Schumacher, the director of the infamously cheesy and homo-erotic film “Batman & Robin”.
WkbyN TIL in 1919, marines killed Charlemange Péralte, who led a resistance against the US occupation of Haiti. Troops distributed a photo of his strung-up carcass to discourage rebels, but it backfired. He looked crucified, turning him into an icon & a martyr. He was even put on Haitian coins in the 90s
R0jl TIL of Rick Rescorla, Morgan Stanley’s head of security at the World Trade Center, who predicted the 1993 bombings and the 2001 attack. He ignored the Port Authority’s instructions to not evacuate, and saved all but seven of his 2,687 employees. He died in the towers.
yQg08 TIL that in 1964, Isaac Asimov speculated that by 2014, cars with "robot-brains" would drive us to our destinations without human assistance. Though he did predict the advent of the autonomous car, his belief that it would hover two feet above the ground failed to materialize.
oj9r TIL that “Human and Animal blood” make up 1.3% of total US exports. Exports of blood bring in $18.9 billion of revenue.