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TIL that when a volcanic eruption started a few hundred meters from the main settlement of the island of Heimaey, a stroke of luck in the form of a storm during the prior days meant that almost the entire fishing fleet was in the harbor which aided in the speedy evacuation of the 5,300 inhabitants.

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N7WW6 TIL that Stephen Hawking used a single cheek muscle to communicate. A sensor attached to his glasses detected these movements which in turn moved a cursor on a screen that utilized predictive text. Much of this text was personalised to Hawking and was based on phrases he had previously used
6Dm8 TIL the company that manufactures Fleshlights sent a complementary package of its products to the SEAL team that killed Osama bin Laden.
ZpwoG TIL Patient “Zero” was a misunderstanding of patient “O”
JDWl TIL that serial killer Ted Bundy took advantage of an obscure Florida law that states that any declaration of marriage in a courthouse with the presence of a judge constitutes a legal marriage. He married during the trial in which he was sentenced to death.
XBrk TIL because so many Russian men have died at war since WW2, the gender ratio in Russia is currently 86.8 men per 100 women, compared to 98.3 men for per women in the U.S. and 101.8 men per 100 women worldwide.