› added 10 years ago

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TIL in 1998 a British man faked his own death to make his wife realise how much she missed him. He left his clothes on the beach and hid. It backfired as his wife divorced him after learning about it

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KYdWQ TIL researchers have grown brain cells in a lab that have learned to play the 1970s tennis-like video game Pong
6EBvX TIL that Iron Giant book ends with the Iron Giant defeating a "Space-Bat-Angel-Dragon" the size of Australia in a contest of pain endurance. The Iron Giant then commands the alien monster to bring peace to humanity by flying around the Earth singing the "music of the spheres".
OG8Na TIL: Julia Agripppina of Rome was the mother of Nero and orchestrated his rise to power through poison and politics. However, she lost her influence over him and he forced her out of the palace, stripped her powers and bodyguards, sent people to annoy her, and in 3 different accounts, killed her.
KYAa6 TIL about the 1983 Brink’s-Mat robbery, the largest gold heist in British history. Robbers stole 3 tons of gold, valued today at ~£100M (then £26M). Much of the gold was never recovered and it is thought the rest made its way back into the legitimate market. Only two of the six robbers were jailed.
wLlL1 TIL a fleet of Italian-built C-27A cargo planes were purchased for the Afghan Air Force in 2012. Including maintenance costs, the total tab was $596 million. In 2012 they sold them for scrap metal for $32,000 US dollars (six cents a pound.)