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TIL of a "gravity train". If you could dig a tunnel through the center of the earth, a train could travel from one end to the other through force of gravity alone, coming to a gentle stop exactly at the other end.

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69AnY TIL that when Heythrop College in London closed in 2019, it was the first significant UK higher education institution to close permanently since the University of Northampton in 1265.
j657a TIL during WWII, the Allies planned a secret operation called “Operation Vegetarian” to drop infected cow cakes over German fields, aiming to spread anthrax among German livestock and disrupt food supplies.
b9JM9 TIL During the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, McDonalds ran a nationwide promotion offering free products every time a US athlete won a medal. It turned into their most costly promotion ever when the Soviet Union, the powerhouse team of the time, boycotted the event, letting the USA win big.
QJxlL TIL about John Gurdon, who was ranked last out of 250 boys in his year group in Biology and in a progress report, his teacher said that pursuing Biology for him would be a "waste of time, for him and those who have to teach him". In 2012, John Gurdon won the Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine
0wNlp TIL in 1967 a man appeared on Jeopardy! intending to win just enough money to buy an engagement ring. He won that amount halfway through and kept his mouth shut from there on. To prevent a recurrence, the rules were changed shortly thereafter, allowing only the winner to keep all his/her winnings.