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TIL that in 2013, a Texas woman tried to kill a snake by dousing it in gasoline and setting it on fire. The snake's final act of defiance was to slither into the house and set it on fire.

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via reddit.com

mxnoE TIL: Wesley Autrey, a man who saved a student’s life after they had a seizure and fell onto the tracks at a station. A train was approaching. Westley leapt onto the tracks and threw himself over the student. All but two cars still passed over them, close enough to leave grease on Westley’s cap.
XEPlk TIL that an excavation of ancient Babylon revealed evidence that Babylonians were making soap around 2800 B.C. They were the first one to master the art of soap making. They made soap from fats boiled with ashes. Soap was used in cleaning textile manufacture and medicinally for at least 5000 years.
KODew TIL of Thor Heyerdahl, the Norwegian adventurer and scientist, who became notable for his Kon-Tiki expedition in 1947, in which he sailed 8,000 km (5,000 mi) across the Pacific Ocean in a hand-built raft from South America to the Tuamotu Islands to prove the Ancients could've accomplished this too.
y8wX TIL that UPS delivery drivers only make right hand turns. UPS uses engineers and software to plan routes for their drivers that only have right turns, unless a left turn is absolutely necessary. This saves them time and fuel by never having to wait at stoplights, or in traffic, to make a left turn.
KO6DJ TIL In 1973 scientists chased the eclipse in the Concord at Mach 2 and were able to view the totality for 74 minutes