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TIL that Al-Qaeda were surprised by the collapse of the Twin Towers. Among those planning the attacks, Osama Bin Laden had been the most "optimistic", due to his experience in engineering, and had predicted that the fire would collapse the area where the planes hit and all the floors above only

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vPOrR TIL 24 of the 50 US states have Native American derived names (many through French), 1 is Hawaiian, 4 directly from Spanish, 11 named after people, several of various origins (English, French, Latin), and at least 6 of unknown origin.
EgoXo TIL that Tommy Maddox left the NFL after five unsuccessful years as a QB, and became an insurance agent. Two years later, an arena football team asked him to play. Maddox sold his agency and accepted the offer. He eventually returned to the NFL and helped the Pittsburgh Steelers win Super Bowl XL.
RrZj TIL that gold gets its color from special relativity. Relativistic contraction shrinks the gap between the s and d orbitals, allowing gold to absorb blue instead of ultraviolet. If not for relativity, gold would appear more silver in color.
OEOa TIL After the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011,more than 200 Japanese pensioners, all over 60, volunteered to tackle the nuclear crisis. The organizer said “Even if I were exposed to radiation, cancer could take 20 or 30 years or longer to develop. I probably have 13 to 15 years left to live.”
jYJa TIL that Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits wrote the song “Money for Nothing” while shopping in an appliance store and overhearing an employee bitch about MTV