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TIL that in 1958, a plan called Project Oilsand proposed using nuclear bombs to exploit oil from Alberta's Athabasca tar sands. The concept involved the underground detonation of up to 100 nuclear explosives to create intense heat; hypothetically liquefying the oil and making it easier to extract.

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Z80WQ TIL during WWII, Soviet POWs in Germany faced far worse treatment than any other nation with 60% chance of dying. In comparison, British POWs held by Japanese and German had respectively 25% and 3% chance of dying.
WkRB4 TIL the beginning of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony (dit-dit-dit-dah) is morse code for the letter V. Representing victory, this was an acknowledged symbol of the war effort, made by Winston Churchill forming a 'V' with the first and second fingers of his raised right hand.
bKMQ TIL There is an Island in Louisiana that has lost about 98% of its land mass due to rising sea levels. Plans are underway to relocate the remaining residents
KOZ84 TIL Hitchbot, a hitchhiking robot, made it all the way across Canada, Germany and the Netherlands but failed to do the same in the U.S. because it was immediately beheaded in Philadelphia.
R54yj TIL in 2019, "Pray for Nesamani" trended in social media after news of contractor Nesamani being admitted to the ICU due to a concussion caused by a hammer that fell on his head. It turns out to be that Nesamani is actually a fictional character played by actor Vadivelu in Tamil film called Friends.