› added 7 years ago

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TIL Dick Tuck, a political consultant and prankster, pulled many pranks on Richard Nixon. One included renting a huge auditorium for Nixon to speak but inviting only a few guests. He also hired a pregnant black woman to walk around in a white neighborhood with a sign reading: “Nixon’s the one!”

wL168 TIL less than three years the Wright Brothers were widely dismissed as 'liars, not flyers' in most mainstream press publications, Wilbur Wright flew in circles around the Statue of Liberty in front of one million New Yorkers then flew continuously for 20 more more miles.
Bg1vW TIL Oakum, tarred fibre used for caulking, was recycled from old tarred rope by prison labor. A man sentenced to hard labor would be expected to pick apart 6 pounds of rope into Oakum per day.
PYbgV TIL that a bill was almost passed that would have imported hippos into the United States to be farmed for meat, but was barely rejected on the concern that they might no taste good.
eplvE TIL in the Red Sea, giant moray eels have been observed hunting cooperatively with coral groupers. The grouper approaches an eel's hiding place and shakes its head rapidly to indicate that it wants to hunt. The eel recognizes the signal and accompanies it on the hunt where they work in tandem.
yA5J TIL that Simon the cat, a feline aboard Royal Navy Ship “The Amethyst” was awarded The Dickin Medal for gallantry under fire. The gallantry? He protected the ship’s food supplies from an infestation of rats.