› added 4 months ago

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TIL that George Metesky (aka the Mad Bomber) terrorized NYC over a 16 year span by planting a total of 33 explosives throughout the city, many in buildings like Penn Station, Grand Central & Radio City. He was caught in 1957 after responding to a newspaper that demanded he turn himself in.

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b64Ya TIL Pol Pot was the deadliest dictator, he had killed around 25% of cambodias population ranking above Mao Zedong, stalin and hitler (hitler’s death toll being around 17% of germanys population)
1Omr TIL 1996 was the first year over half of Americans approved of interracial marriage
OGDEe TIL: A Blue Whale's heartbeat can be detected from 2 miles away, weighs roughly 400 lbs, is around the same size as a golf cart and will slow from 25-37 beats per minute to only 4-8 during deep dives
5VJ6k TIL: Some migrating birds fly at high altitudes, reflecting light from the setting sun not seen at ground level during twlight, producing a glowing wave in the sky.
0w7e5 TIL In Italy they can ask you a certification of "being alive". People can self-certificate of being alive. Death can't be self-certificated, though.