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TIL a female serial killer named “Phantom of Heilbronn” was linked to 40 crimes, six of which were murders. In 2009 it was discovered that she didn’t exist and her DNA was simply contamination from the cotton swabs used at the crime scenes.

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NXmwM TIL about the Antikythera Mechanism, a Greek model of the Solar System which is the oldest known example of an analogue computer used to predict astronomical positions and eclipses decades in advance.
R79Bw TIL In 2011, near Syracuse, N.Y., a man riding bareheaded in an anti-helmet law rally lost control of his cycle, went over his handlebars, hit his head on the pavement and died. A state troopers said he motorcyclist likely would have survived the accident if he'd been wearing a helmet.
yVnDM TIL about the Chamblee hostage incident, where a man named Kenneth Lamar Noid, believing Domino's "Noid" mascot was mocking him, took hostages in a restaurant with a gun in 1990.
wLpl8 TIL Back in 2000, James Cameron discussed filming at International Space Station with Tom Cruise. When Cameron asked "...somebody’s gotta train us as engineers.’ Tom Cruise said, ‘No problem, I’ll train as an engineer.’
lopa1 TIL: Viruses evolve differently to adapt to their mode of transmission. A water-borne virus (e.g. cholera) is virulent because fecal matter can transmit to care-givers. OTOH, droplet-borne viruses (flu, SARS) become less virulent over time to create more ambulatory carriers for transmission.