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TIL there used to be an “Office of Technology Assessment” in charge of providing Congress with unbiased analysis of scientific issues, but it was closed down as part of the Republicans’ “Contract With America in 1995.

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R5Ll9 TIL Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor was inspired to pursue law by "12 Angry Men" & immigrant Juror 11's reverent monologue on the US justice system -- but after becoming a judge, noted the jurors went far beyond the scope of reasonable doubt, which in real life would have led to a mistrial.
ADQlw TIL that Salvator Dali once gave Alice Cooper a plaster sculpture of his brain, crowned by a chocolate eclair with real ants running down the middle. He asked Cooper to model for him. Which he did, under armed guard, since he was wearing a diamond tiara provided by Dali worth $2 million.
R7bv1 In 1937, the U.S. Army Air Corps began research flights in a modified Lockheed Electra; the XC-35 was the first airplane built with a pressurized cabin.
4XnNa TIL that in 1953, an Australian Centurion main battle tank survived a nuclear test that was only 500 yards away. Later nicknamed the Atomic Tank, it went on to serve in the Australian military for 23 more years, including 15 months of service in Vietnam.
vPGWx TIL of the Golden Gate Bridge Bolt, a concept for a roller coaster that would scale the Golden Gate Bridge at a height of over 700 feet and a top speed of over 200 miles an hour. City officials rejected this concept in fear of drivers being too distracted by the coaster.