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TIL in 1997 two men inspired by movie “Heat” tried to rob US bank while being heavily armed and wearing custom made body armor. In deadly shootout that followed police was so outgunned that had to borrow weapons from gun store nearby. Whole shootout was captured on camera from helicopter

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vPa58 TIL that the revolutionary idea by Julius Petri, creator of the Petri dish, was actually to cover the agar plate with a slightly bigger clear lid in order to see growth without contaminating the specimens.
epJb TIL: Ryan Gossling took time off from acting to pursue his musical career with his band “Dead Man’s Bones”. The band makes creepy Halloween-type music, complete with children’s choir and all.
4k07w TIL about Batesian mimicry: a non-poisonous butterfly mimics the bright colors of poisonous ones. Predators avoiding the poisonous colors prey on dark-colored butterflies, favoring the survival of mimics. This increases the frequency of alleles for mimicry in the non-poisonous population.
d8e9r TIL that weighted blankets weren't designed as a sleep aid. They were first used as an alternative to physically restraining children with autism or pervasive developmental disabilities, as well as adults in acute-care psychiatric units.
Abvd TIL North Korean exists because Taiwan exists: China was prevented by the US 7th Fleet from invading Taiwan in June 1950, so Mao Zedong announced China would enter the Korean war with the invasion force originally intended for Taiwan, and by October this force saved North Korea from imminent defeat