› added 7 years ago

95

TIL in 1989 the supreme court ruled that executing the “mentally retarded” was constitutional with a 5-4 vote; it wasn’t until 2002 that the ruling was overturned. (Penry v. Lynaugh)

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V6Em TIL in 1944 Nazi scientists developed an experimental drug named “D-IX” which could force an equipment laden soldier to march 88.5 km without rest. They had plans to supply these pills to all German troops but war ended before mass production.
rRnMM TIL when whales die and sink, their carcasses, known as "Whale falls", provide a bounty of nutrients for deepwater creatures
0wEdA TIL that actress Jennifer Tilly’s father was of Chinese descent and that her birth name was Jennifer Elizabeth Chan
NL0Q TIL: that in WW1 the occupied french town of Le Quesnoy, a walled town with a wall dating back to the medieval period was taken by New Zealand Troops without the wall being blown up. Instead a few men with a ladder climbed the wall and opened the gates from the inside preserving the wall.
NXpW8 TIL that during the filming of the Doctor Who serial “The Celestial Toymaker”, the BBC got in trouble after a character meant to be inspired by Billy Bunter claimed to be him at the end of one of the episodes. The Continuity Announcer had to make an apology to avoid a lawsuit.