› added 8 years ago

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TIL that in order to set a new helicopter altitude record, Jean Boulet removed all the inessential components, like the starter motor. As soon as he reached record altitude, the engine failed. So he landed safely without using the engine.

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4X8no TIL that in Oklahoma in the 1920s, ranchers, lawyers and public officials conspired together to murder 60+ Osage Indians in order to secure the rights to their oil-rich land. Only two men were ever convicted. Both were paroled and one pardoned by the governor of Oklahoma.
d8Xn8 TIL that towards the end of WWI a 'second Paris' was built to fool German bombers into not bombing the real Paris. It was complete with a Champs-Elysées and Gard Du Nord, wooden replicas of buildings, and white, yellow, and red lights to create the effect of machines working at night.
BXKD TIL that Britain only finished paying its WW2 debts off in 2006, and was only three months shy of bankruptcy when the war ended in 1945
jR6n TIL Awarding people money for doing well in IQ tests causes them to score better, $10 increased people’s score by 20 IQ points. IQ tests don’t just measure intelligence they also measure effort.
8egLX TIL that in July 1982, a mentally disturbed man named Michael Fagan entered Buckingham Palace twice and set off alarms both times (that were cleared with little investigation). The first time he encountered a maid and ended up drinking a bottle of wine. The second time, he made it to the Queen.