› added 4 years ago

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TIL of autistic savant Mark DeFriest, aka Houdini of FL. Arrested on a minor charge as a teen, he got a life sentence from escapes/attempts & pranks. He made a zip gun from a toothpaste tube, replicated keys from memory. In & out of prison since 1978, 27 yrs in solitary; he's in prison to this day.

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via reddit.com

awM0N TIL Astronauts often see random flashes of light in space, even through closed eyes - this is caused by cosmic rays passing through their eyes or optical nerves. Scientists think the light is either generated by Cherenkov radiation or by the ray being powerful enough to activate the optical nerve.
4XQp5 TIL of Lois Gibson, a forensic artist whose sketches have led to the arrest of over 1,200 criminals. One of her sketches was the first ever used on America's Most Wanted, and she's known for her uncanny accuracy.
KAo9 TIL: The woman who accused the Duke Lacrosse players is in jail….for murdering her boyfriend
xVDKo TIL that there are 2,620 people on death row in the United States as of January 1, 2020.
wg16 TIL Bob Ross had several pet squirrels. He brought them on his show from time to time.