› added 4 years ago

191

TIL that in 2007, the hijacking of a Mauritanian flight was thwarted. Over the PA, the pilot instructed the passengers that he was about to make a bumpy landing, and they should attack the hijacker while he was off balance. He said this in French, which the gunman did not speak. The ploy succeeded.

Read more chron.com

via reddit.com

OQNX TIL that stand-up comedian Demetri Martin worked as a White House intern during the Clinton administration.
jNZvN TIL about the biggest cave in the world, The Son Doong Cave in Vietnam. It’s over 5.5 miles long, has a jungle and river, and could fit a 40-story skyscraper within its walls.
Wj0X TIL saloop, a drink of ground orchid tubers, was a popular 18th century alternative to coffee or tea until it became rumoured to cure venereal disease. After that drinking it in public became shameful.
5Pjk TIL in 2004, Bose Corporation (known for hi-fi audio equipment) disclosed that it sank over $100 million into a new type of automobile suspension, which used electromagnetism rather than hydraulics.
j6EVQ TIL that, in 1898, due to the closure of the Fleetwood Park Racetrack due to being sold to real estate developers, New York City officials considered building a new harness horse racetrack in Central Park. The city approved plans for a Central Park racetrack, but built it on unused land instead.