› added 10 years ago

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TIL of the death of PFC LaVena Johnson, who was found dead in 2005 at a base in Balad, Iraq. Initially ruled a suicide, an autopsy revealed she a broken nose, black eye, loose teeth, and burns from corrosive chemicals on her genitals. The Army has refused to reopen the case.

rNn6y TIL that the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum now displays a Boeing CV2 Cargo Air Vehicle outfitted to resemble a Star Wars X-wing starfighter. This drone, first showcased at Disney's Galaxy's Edge in 2019, represents a major advancement in remote piloted aircraft technology.
D1b4P TIL one of the richest families in history was a German merchant dynasty, the Fuggers. One member, Jackob Fugger (d. 1525) ranks among the wealthiest men in modern history with $400 billion, 2% of Europe's GDP. The name Fugger was originally rendered as, Fucker.
eknL TIL Gregory Peck turned down top billing for ‘Roman Holiday’,convincing executives to give it to Audrey Hepburn saying : “I’m smart enough to know this girl’s going to win the Oscar in her first picture, and I’m going to look like a damned fool if her name is not up there on top with mine.”
rRXw TIL that most recycling companies throw out plastic water bottles that still have the cap on, due to it being a different type of plastic than the bottle.
W71xd TIL that excess human food is harmful to wildlife. So we can't just dump all the leftovers into a forest or something and let them do whatever with it, choosing landfills and even poisoning supermarket dumpsters instead...