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TIL in 1976, a struggling Princeton undergrad wrote his junior term paper on how to make an atomic bomb, using information he gathered from physics textbooks and declassified documents. He got an A in the class, but never got his paper back because it was seized by the US government.

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p8bRN TIL On August 23, 1942, 600 Italian cavalrymen charged a position of 2,000 Soviet soldiers near the Don River, slashing with sabers and throwing hand grenades. Despite heavy losses, the Italians managed to dislodge the Soviets. This would be the last major cavalry charge in military history.
L8XQ TIL of a Sesame Street special in 1983 in which Big Bird helps a cursed 4,000 year old Egyptian child prince defeat a demon by solving a riddle and weighing his heart
Wlx4 TIL a man once accidentally exposed himself to a small amount of Plutonium which was traceable in his urine for the next 50 years.
WkaR4 TIL that in 1935, a Congressman proposed an amendment that any declaration of war would need a national referendum. He said that "If the United States had such an anti-war provision in its Constitution, other countries would follow our example, and I believe wars would be brought to an end"
VbN4 TIL of the “Sisyphus Train,” a project currently underway in Nevada meant to recover surplus grid power that can’t be stored very easily. During the day, the excess power is used to drive the train up a hill. At night, the train rolls back down, generating it all back again.