› added 6 years ago

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TIL in World War II, a few engineers wanted to reinforce the (returned) fighter planes where most of the bullet holes were. Mr. Abraham Wald then said: Let's reinforce them where no bullet holes are instead - because apparently, airplanes hit in these spots did NOT return.

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OKe4 TIL that research indicates black americans really do tip waiters less than whites americans, but likely as part of a cycle: waiters resist serving African Americans, or they provide poorer service, which discourages blacks from patronizing table-service restaurants.
R7b84 TIL a shark helped another shark give birth at an Auckland, New Zealand aquarium in 2009. The first shark bit the abdomen of the second, freeing the pups inside. One aquarium staff member said "It had to bite a certain part to let them out and do it without killing the babies or her."
78k5r TIL a pregnant cat was bought by a lighthouse keeper into a previously isolated island south of New Zealand and it (as well as its feral kittens) went on to cause the extinction of an endemic flightless bird (Stephens Island Wren) shortly after
gbb4 TIL of the “Tiffany Problem”. Tiffany is a medieval name—short for Theophania—from the 12th century. Authors can’t use it in historical or fantasy fiction, however, because the name looks too modern. This is an example of how reality is sometimes too unrealistic.
D1JaJ TIL of the Caretaker, an artist who made eerie, disorienting music that emulates dementia and memory loss. His work, "Everywhere at the End of Time" shows the progression of a "slow death of a soul" through 6 stages.