› added 6 years ago

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TIL That the song "What's the frequency, Kenneth?" by R.E.M. is a reference to an incident in which Dan Rather was assaulted by a man who repeatedly shouted "Kenneth, what is the frequency?"

6ZDQ TIL that in 1985, Philadelphia police used a helicopter to drop a bomb on a house during a 24 hour conflict involving gunfire with the black activist group MOVE. The explosion caused 50+ homes to burn down resulting in 11 deaths, 5 of which were children.
1a44P TIL that a man in Idaho went on vacation, and returned to find that a bear broke into his condo through a second story door, ate food, and defecated on his carpet. He closed the door to keep the bear away, but the bear then tried to enter through the cat door, only managing to poke its head in
9aJM TIL Robin Williams attended Juilliard and was one of two students chosen to be in the advanced program. However, he dropped out in his junior year of the program at the recommendation of his professor because his professor told him, “there was nothing more Juilliard could teach him.”
OGbKa TIL that the CIA created a gun that could shoot darts causing heart attacks. Upon penetration of the skin, the dart left just a tiny red dot. The poison worked rapidly and denatured quickly, leaving no trace. This weapon was revealed in a 1975 Congressional testimony.
vGL4 TIL quicksand scenes appeared in 3% of all movies in the 1960s, but claims of REAL human deaths by quicksand are nonexistant or poorly supported. (more in comments)