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TIL that the first film ever to have special effects was a depiction of Mary Queen of Scots' execution

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p89aG TIL jellyfish have been attacking nuclear power plants in Japan and India since the 1960s, with up to 150 tons per day removed from the cooling system of just 1 power plant. In India, workers removed over 4mil jellyfish from screens over the entrances to cooling pipes. That’s 80 tons of jellyfish.
wLNj1 TIL Looking at the sky through a cardboard paper towel tube and through a standard drinking straw is about the same as the difference in the amount of sky seen in ordinary binoculars and a small telescope. Binoculars in astronomy are used for their wider field of view
0dMVv TIL El Cid had a horse named Babieca, which apparently means stupid, and after his death in order to scare the Moors they sent Babieca out with El Cid's corpse to lead the troops to victory.
1aYND TIL The US Government passed the Stolen Valor Act in 2005. The Act made it illegal to wear or falsely claim to have received any military medal or decoration without authorization, including the Medal of Honor. However, the Act was later ruled unconstitutional by the Ninth Circuit Court.
R5Bd8 TIL media tycoon Kerry Packer once paid off a cocktail waitress' $130,000 mortage after he accidentally bumped into her, causing her to spill her drinks. Another time, he paid off a cocktail waitress' $150,000 mortage as a tip for good service.