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TIL "Bagdad Bob", Information Minister under Saddam Hussein was known for his greatly inaccurate TV announcements. He reported that American troops and tanks had not entered Bagdad while they were heard fighting only a few hundred meters from the studio.

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VjnD TIL the painter Raphael snuck into the Sistine Chapel to look at the unfinished work while Michelangelo was gone, and upon seeing the paintings, went back to a completed painting of his own at the Church of Sant'Agostino, scraped it off the wall, and started completely over.
5eBr TIL there is a record for the “highest formal dinner”, where competitors must have a three course meal with a formal table and chairs and wear formal attire at the highest altitude. The record is held at 6,800m (22,300ft) in Tibet.
R5dZ4 TIL Alberta, Canada is the only densely populated area in the world without a rat population, thanks to a Rat Control Program that was established in 1950.
v7pL TIL The shortest correspondence in history was between Victor Hugo and his publisher in 1862. Inquiring about sales of Les Miserables Hugo telegraphed his publishers the single-character message “?”. Having sold out the first print in 24hrs, the reply was “!“
LQAbZ TIL Yellowstone's supposed "overdue" volcano eruption is a myth; studies show its magma reservoirs contain only 5-15% molten material, far from the 50% required for mobilization. Any imminent eruption would be preceded by decades of increased seismic activity and other signs.