› added 11 years ago

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TIL execution by elephant was commonly used in South and Southeast Asia for centuries because, unlike the horse, the elephant has no qualms about killing humans, and can be trained in detail: told to make the death quick and merciful (crush the head) or prolonged and painful (tear limb from limb)

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4XLAa TIL that although the Chernobyl nuclear-power-plant had a meltdown in 1986 and had rendered the land around it uninhabitable, the remaining reactors of the facility remained in normal operation and generated power until 2000.
rRP9M TIL of Alec Cabacungan, the spokesperson for Shriners Childrens Hospital for the last 6 years, has Brittle Bone Disease. He has broken over 60 bones in his lifetime. He is an 18yo college freshmen, plays wheelchair basketball, interviews athletes and has appeared on sports shows such as NBA on TNT.
pvZ4 TIL Tupac Shakur shot two off duty police officers who were assaulting a young man. Charges against Shakur were dropped because the officers were intoxicated and in possession of stolen guns
0wQY5 TIL When the first steam engine was built in 1804, people were worried that the speed would make rail passengers unable to breathe or that they would be shaken unconscious by the vibrations
b6pLp TIL that in 1966 the glass roof of the Houston Astrodome was painted to reduce glare. However, this reduced the amount of sunlight in the stadium and most of the grass died. A synthetic grass surface called ChemGrass was installed in its place, and Astroturf got its name.