› added 2 years ago

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TIL that Italian Enrico Fermi was on the verge of developing bombs for Benito Mussolini, when he found out that Italy's anti-Jewish laws affected his wife, and sailed for the US using prize money from his 1938 Nobel Prize award. He later helped develop the nuclear bombs the US later used on Japan.

xAE0 TIL In Ireland, any jokes regarding the potato famine of the 19th Century, should be avoided. Joking about this topic could in many instances cause a similar amount of offense (for example) as joking about the September 11, 2001 attacks would in the United States.
9YXYM TIL: Los Angeles original name is "El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles de Porciúncula" which means "The Town of Our Lady the Queen of the Angels of Porciúncula”
Zn94 TIL NBA player Rick Barry led the league seven times in free throw percentage by shooting the ball underhanded. His free throw percentage was 89.99 at the time of his retirement. Despite the effectiveness of his technique, almost no other basketball player has followed it.
N7ZNP TIL that the current version of the Tomahawk cruise missile is capable of loitering over a target while sending back imagery to ground controllers before being commanded to dive on to the a target.
oBbMK TIL a contestant on “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” used their “phone-a-friend” to call celebrity Rosie O’Donnell, a huge fan of the show. She guaranteed to cover the prize amount if her answer was wrong.