› added 1 year ago

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TIL that US troops using flash card apps accidentally revealed classified information about nuclear weapons in Europe, such as vault locations, surveillance camera positions, signs/countersigns, and duress words.

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via reddit.com

rlyx TIL a tree, believed to be at least 3000 years old was cut down in 1964 by a grad student. The reason why is still in dispute. The tree was later proven to be at least 4864 years old and likely more than 5000. It was more than 1000 years old when the Great Pyramid of Giza was built.
PYv7g TIL that Gilles de Rais, known for being a former ally of Joan of Arc who was executed for occultism and murdering 600 children, may have been the victim of a plot by the Catholic Church and/or the French state. No corpses were found at his estate and the prosecutor used the trial to seize his land.
VMgYZ TIL of 102-year-old cyclist Robert Marchand who held the 100-plus category one-hour record of 24 kilometres and 251 metres until he broke his own record at the age of 102 years riding 26 kilometers and 927 metres in one hour.
e0EAg TIL on March 24, 1975, a 50-year-old bricklayer named Alex Mitchell watched an episode of the comedy series The Goodies, and literally laughed himself to death. According to a poll in January 2020, fans still say "Kung Fu Kapers" is their favorite episode.
b6v87 TIL about Tote'm Stores, a convenience store in Dallas, TX, where customers "toted" away their purchases. In 1946, their hours were extended to 7am-11pm, and their name changed to reflect the new hours: 7-Eleven.