› added 10 years ago

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TIL that in 1956, for a bet, while drunk, Thomas Fitzpatrick stole a small plane from New Jersey and then landed it perfectly on a narrow Manhattan street in front of the bar he had been drinking at. Then, two years later, he did it again after a man didn’t believe he had done it the first time.

xYN0 TIL that in the 1st episode of 30 Rock, after Jack discusses how he developed the Trivection oven, GE ran an ad during commercial break to make sure the audience knew it was a real product, not something writers made up as a joke for the show.
a8dRM TIL that when privateer Klaus Störtebeker and his 73-man crew were executed by the city of Hamburg, the executioner was asked if he was tired. He replied he could 'easily execute the whole senate as well,' and was then executed himself.
v1Bkj TIL In 2013, Saito and Shinozuka researched if cats can recognize the owner's voice. To validate it, they tested cats which have been named. The cats responded the call of their owners and was seen mainly in relation to the cats' ears instead of walking towards the voice.
4kdeX TIL that Calcio Fiorentino, an early form of football from Italy that is still played today, starts with the teams engaging in mixed martial arts to force opponents into submission before trying to score a goal.
l7oAB TIL: The pull-tab for the pop-top can was invented in 1959 by Ermal Fraze; who, after forgetting a can opener at a picnic, was forced to open his beer can using a car bumper.