› added 11 years ago

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TIL that buildings in Athens, along with many other cities, have height restrictions on them so they do not obstruct the views of skylines or monuments

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a80w0 TIL that James Conrad Marshall, killed in the Viet Cong attack on the U.S. Embassy during the Tet Offensive was the first Marine Security Guard to die in defense of a U.S. embassy or consulate.
wo6y8 TIL In 1921 conman Stanley Clifford Weyman posed as a U.S. naval officer and convinced an Afghan Princess to give him $10,000 to set up a meeting with the President. He spent it on travel and lodging for her, and got her a meeting with the President. The ensuing press coverage led to his arrest.
BgyYD TIL of holoprosencephaly - a disorder in which forebrain of the embryo fails to develop into two hemispheres, caused by mutations in the gene encoding the Sonic Hedgehog (SHH) protein
neyjB TIL that the constellation Orion’s Belt is actually part of a bigger constellation called Orion.
N7Le1 TIL Interstellar, the film, contributed to our scientific understanding of black holes. When they ran a specially designed engine for producing CGI, they saw what they thought was a graphic bug. What it was, however, was imagery of what black holes actually look like.