› added 8 years ago

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TIL 1100 hostages were taken during the Belsan school hostage crisis. After three days of standoff, Russian security forces stormed the building with the use of tanks, incendiary rockets and other heavy weapons. 330 hostages were killed, including 186 children.

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rRBQe TIL that according to a quarterly earnings report in 2015, around 2.1 million Americans still use AOL's dial-up services - some of which still pay a (reduced) subscription fee. It is estimated that these users live in areas without proper broadband coverage, or simply can't afford to upgrade.
7rG4p TIL that after Speedo released the LZR Racer in 2008, 93 world records have been broken by swimmers wearing an LZR Racer and 33 of the first 36 2008 Olympic medals have been won wearing it as of 24 August 2009. Its “technological” advantage led it to be banned from further high end competitive use
W7VEA TIL Australian magpies one of the cleverest birds on Earth once helped each other to remove tracking devices researchers took 6 months to create and put on them. Within 20 minutes, one helping magpie had found the only weak point and snipped to remove the device.
AbM4 TIL the Ganges river has 1.1 million liters of raw sewage dumped into it every 60 seconds.
16B8P TIL that 30 years after cocaine was first isolated from the coca plant, it was first tested as an anesthetic. In 1884, Austrian ophthalmologist Karl Koller instilled a 2% solution of cocaine into his own eye and tested its effectiveness by pricking his eye with a needle.