› added 12 years ago

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TIL the German equivalent of the FBI considers Scientology a potential threat, alongside Islamism and right- and left-wing extremism.

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via reddit.com

xVyvk TIL Two touching stars were expected to fully merge in 2022. The resulting explosion ("a Red Nova)" would have been visible to the naked eye. Unfortunately, a small typo in old data threw the prediction off. Fortunately, the science behind the forecast is still sound, so we may soon predict another.
BlMW TIL: At 0.21% of the total population, the United States has the lowest percentage of its population living in its capital city in the world
w8g6 TIL that in 1927 two innocent men were executed in the US for their political beliefs. The sentencing judge said: “This man, although he may not have actually committed the crime attributed to him, is nevertheless morally culpable, because he is the enemy of our existing institutions.”
4Xg6b TIL in 1961, Marvel introduced the Fantastic Four. They were considered unconventional at the time because they were flawed characters who squabbled, held grudges, and sought celebrity.
W7QvN TIL that upon Harry Houdini's death, his magic equipment was inherited by his brother Theodore on the condition that it be "burned and destroyed" upon Theodore's death. Instead, the equipment ended up in the Houdini Magical Hall of Fame, a museum which burnt down in 1995.