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TIL Former British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook wrote that the word Al-Qaeda should be translated as "the database", because it originally referred to the computer file of the thousands of mujahideen militants who were recruited and trained with CIA help to defeat the Russians

Y7WEB TIL that in 1844, Professor H. Booth claimed “from inhaling the odour of beef the butcher's wife obtains her obesity.” This was part of the 19th-century miasma theory, which linked diseases and weight gain to inhaling “bad air” from rotting matter, influencing public health during cholera outbreaks.
byQZ TIL Hans Zimmer composed the music for the Spider Pig song in The Simpsons Movie.
W708L TIL june 7, 1917 British sappers blew up German positions. The noise of this explosion is considered the loudest man-made sound of the pre-nuclear era. In 30 seconds, explosions killed 10,000 German soldiers and destroyed two lines of trenches.
gMll9 TIL In 1977, Saturday Night Live held an "Anyone Can Host" contest, the first and only time they've allowed a non-celebrity to host. The winner was an 80 year old grandmother named Miskel Spillman. Her episode on 12/17/77 was notable for an Elvis Costello performance that got him banned from SNL.
rpOd TIL MMA fighter Matt Hamill noticed a car speeding down the wrong side of the highway and turned his car around, gave chase and safely forced the car to a grassy area. He then punched out a window to stop the car, potentially saving the child passenger and the inebriated mother’s lives.