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TIL a German sailor named “Oscar” survived the sinking of the Bismark, switched sides to the allies and survived the Ark Royal and Cossack, floating on a board unharmed but angry. He was a cat.

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mbOx TIL that Lake Kivu is one of three lakes that undergoes limnic eruptions. These sudden releases of carbon dioxide kill every human and animal around the lake. It is estimated that the lake erupts about once every thousand years. Currently, about two million people live on the shores of Lake Kivu.
kOdOd TIL in 1957 Northeast Airlines Flight 823 crashed onto Rikers Island, New York’s 400 acre prison complex. Around 50 inmates rushed to help pull passengers from the wreckage. Later the governor set those prisoners free or reduced their sentences.
VM51m TIL In 1896, Martha Hughes Cannon became the first female State Senator elected in the United States after defeating her own polygamist husband, Angus M. Cannon, who was also on the ballot.
mxKgY TIL in 1964 a super cyclone destroyed a town called Dhanushkodi, making it into a ghost town. The storm overturned a train entering it's railway station killing over 200 passengers. 4 radio operators braved the storm to continue broadcasting, and survived by clinging on to a bridge for 12 hours.
gbK7 TIL: The workers at Costco stores that hand out free samples are considered outside vendors, not actual Costco employees, and work under a subcontractor called CDS that only offers services to Costco. CDS employees are paid less than Costco employees and get no benefits.