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TIL of Tom Dempsey, an NFL kicker for the New Orleans Saints, born with no toes on his kicking foot. He held an NFL record, standing for over 40 years, for kicking a 63 yard field goal. ESPN Sport Science found the modified shoe (that caused some controversy) actually increased his margin of error.

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7VwP TIL that Hugh Thomson, the man who during the Vietnam War had landed a helicopter in the line of fire to confront and stop American troops who had by that point killed close to 500 unarmed civilians in the My Lai Massacre, was labeled a traitor by Congress and ordered not to speak about the event.
8eaaP TIL that after 9/11, On January 5, 2002, Charles Bishop, a high-school student from Florida, United States, stole a Cessna 172 light aircraft and purposefully crashed it into the side of the Bank of America Tower in downtown Tampa, Florida, killing no one but himself in the process
mMdy TIl that after a classified Corona spy satellite’s film capsule was found by Venezuelan farmers and broken open, the US realized that labeling it “Secret” was a bad idea. Later capsules offered in eight languages a reward for returning it to American officials.
oBxQK TIL in the 1956 Melbourne olympics, veterinary student Barry Larkin protested against the relay, carrying a fake flame, consisting of a pair of underpants set on fire in a plum pudding can, attached to a chair leg. Successfully handing it to the Mayor of Sydney and escaping unnoticed.
QaZX TIL Paul Simon, after completing five top-selling Simon & Garfunkel albums as the lead singer and lyricist of the duo, attended a one week course on songwriting at New York University.