› added 6 years ago

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TIL that after Speedo released the LZR Racer in 2008, 93 world records have been broken by swimmers wearing an LZR Racer and 33 of the first 36 2008 Olympic medals have been won wearing it as of 24 August 2009. Its “technological” advantage led it to be banned from further high end competitive use

j6MAj TIL Paul the Octopus correctly selected eight out of eight winning teams for football matches, including Spain's win over Holland in 2010.
x6APB TIL: North Korea had a covert cargo ship named the Chong Chon Gang, which was a front to conduct illicit activities around the world such as smuggling. It was chased by pirates in 2009, detained by Ukraine and Egypt in 2010, and seized by Panama in 2013. The NK gov paid $700k to release it.
ANkn7 TIL that Rasputin's efficacy at treating Alexei Nikolaevich's hemophilia is theorized to be due to his forbidding the use of aspirin for the boy. Aspirin, at the time, was prescribed for a myriad of ailments, but its anti-clotting effect—very adverse for hemophiliacs—was not known until much later.
kJ6Vg TIL Tina Fey got her chin scar at age 5 when a stranger randomly entered her yard while she was playing and slashed her face
e0kZJ TIL a 34-yr-old French-UK woman named Emma Perrier was catfished by a 53-yr-old UK man who was using a 35-yr-old Turkish model's photos. She tracked down the real model, Adem Guzel, they hit it off via FaceTime; about a year later, he flew to London and they became a couple.