› added 4 years ago

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TIL that the long-standing notion of late WWII 'Kamikaze' pilots as hyper-nationalist zealots was largely fiction. Many pilots were reluctantly drawn from the educated and liberal in Japan, and many expressed frustration at the futility of their nation's cause and the sanctity of the Emperor.

edrg TIL in 1976, residents of a small town in Ohio began receiving threatening anonymous letters. Thousands of letters were sent and some contained personal details. The main suspect was jailed but released after three years when he himself was sent a letter in prison. The case remains unsolved.
QN9o6 TIL that much like in the movie Dune, you can make earthworms surface by vibrating earth at a specific frequency. This technique is called 'worm grunting' and it consists in driving a stake in the ground and vibrating it using a metal rod. This technique is used to catch worms for fishing bait.
ErLV TIL that in the 1930s Guinness was the 7th largest company in the entire world
jNLvp TIL that Aladár Gerevich, a Hungarian fencer, is regarded as "the greatest Olympic swordsman ever". The only athlete to win the same event 6 times, winning sabre in 6 Olympics between 1932 and 1960 (the 1940 and 1944 games were cancelled due to WWII). His first and last wins were 28 years apart.
y1K8 TIL that in 2010, Pauley Perrette, the quirky goth scientist girl from NCIS had the 3rd highest Q Score (likability) of any actor working, the same as Tom Hanks and Morgan Freeman.