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TIL THE world's two largest standing Buddhas - one of them 165ft high - were blown up by the Taliban in Afghanistan in 2001. After failing to destroy the 1,700-year-old sandstone statues of Buddha with anti-aircraft and tank fire, the Taliban brought a Lorryload of dynamite from Kabul.

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x6JM7 TIL that "Lenna", cropped from the centerfold of the November 1972 issue of Playboy depicting Lena Forsén, is a standard test image used in the field of digital image processing
ZXYQ TIL that Tesla has solved the problem of long distance electric car travel through the use of battery swap stations. Replace your empty battery for a fully charged battery in 90 seconds, which is quicker than topping your tank.
691vX TIL that Medieval Europeans wore wooden sandals OVER their cloth shoes. These overshoes, called "pattens," kept the nicer cloth shoes clean from the mud and dung outside, and were removed when going indoors - especially for church.
gMOeW TIL Yuri Gagarin, the first human in space, did not live to see the first human to land on the moon.
rR8B1 TIL at their closest points, Russia and the USA are only 2.4 miles apart.