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TIL: North Korea shot down a US spy plane in April 1969, an enraged Nixon allegedly ordered a tactical nuclear strike and told the joint chiefs to recommend targets. Henry Kissinger spoke to military commanders on the phone and agreed not to do anything until Nixon sobered up in the morning.

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nKQP TIL the Safe Drinking Water Act is so out of date that the water Americans drink can pose what scientists say are serious health risks — and still be legal. Only 91 contaminants are regulated by the Act, yet more than 60,000 chemicals are used within the United States, according to EPA estimates.
p7YQ TIL a convicted member of the Mafia escaped from his prison cell by sawing through the bars… with dental floss… in the year 2000
oaQA TIL In Denmark, Danishes are called Wienerbrød, literally translates to ‘Vienna Bread’, and are one of the few countries to actually recognize the real creator, Austrian bakers.
LQBBm TIL: Jamie Hyneman of Mythbusters ran away from home at the age of 14 and hitchhiked across the United States. He is currently a qualified diver, outdoor survival expert, boat captain, linguist, pet shop owner, animal wrangler, machinist, concrete inspector, and cook.
oZvK Today I learned that when maverick Scottish Psychiatrist R.D. Laing faced a naked schizophrenic woman rocking silently to and fro in a padded cell, he took off his own clothes and sat next to her, rocking to the same rhythm until she spoke for the first time in months.