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TIL that in 1971, as part of an experiment to study the causes and effects of landslides, Japanese scientists watered down a hill using fire hoses to simulate the effect of a torrential rainstorm. The soil on the hill gave way and the resulting landslide killed 4 scientists and 11 observers.

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W7ZnN TIL although Pepperdine University is in an area historically known for wildfires, they never evacuate their students, faculty, and staff duirng a brushfre. Working with LAFD, constructing buildings with fire-resistant materials, and creating firebreaks make the campus ideal for sheltering in place.
GApe1 TIL That First Lady Abigail Powers Filmore was the Teacher to 13th US President Millard Filmore Prior to marrying him
polA TIL tech companies often test new products in New Zealand because they’re an ethnically diverse, tech-savvy, and English-speaking nation, yet still relatively isolated. If a product is a flop there, news is unlikely to spread quickly to the rest of the world and damage a company’s reputation.
YppP7 TIL the movie "An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn" was a satire of movies which are so bad that the director refuses credit and uses the pseudonym "Alan Smithee". The real-life director of the movie was so unhappy with it that he took his name off and it became a real Alan Smithee film.
JYxLB TIL There are researchers who say there is no known limit to human lifespan. They argue that the previous conclusion that human lifespan stops at 115 years was based on misinterpreting the data by seeing a plateau at 115 years where there was none