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TIL the RAF air raid on Hamburg on the night of 27 July 1943 unleashed a firestorm, with temperatures reaching 800°C and winds of up to 240 km/h, incinerating 21 km² of the city and killing over 18,000 people. A large number of those killed were seeking safety in air raid shelters and cellars.

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epjd5 TIL that authorities in the historic English town of Chester were so concerned about the erosion of the city’s Roman walls and monuments by public urination that they introduced a “walk of shame” for offenders, where they were taken on a tour to inspect the damage caused by public peeing.
4QQ6 TIL that in 4 billion years, when the Andromeda galaxy and the milky way collide, the probability even just two stars colliding is negligible.
8aZnL TIL about Judah Friedlander, of the sitcom 30 Rock. His ever-changing, slogan-bearing trucker hats became a gag on the show. Friedlander makes his hats himself and created enough of them to be able to wear a different one in each scene of 30 Rock, which was about three hats per show for 6 seasons.
QeAE TIL that Sigmund Freud’s nephew exploited women’s aspirations for a better life by encouraging them to smoke, thus fighting their ‘oppression’
rv7d TIL that John Glenn flew combat missions in WWII and Korea, became the first American to orbit the Earth, was present for the assassination of Robert Kennedy, served as Senator from Ohio, and, while still a senator, became the oldest person to fly in space at age 77.