› added 7 years ago

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TIL Rob Knox, who played Marcus Belby in Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince was stabbed to death outside a bar in London while protecting his younger brother from two men, one of whom was armed with two knives. He was 18.

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d81pZ TIL that the Jeopardy sketch on Saturday Night Live was credited to Norm MacDonald, who in turn credits Eugene Levy for generously sharing the concept from SCTV which Norm watched as a child.
JYYEQ The US Air Force’s scientific research wing is giving Lockheed Martin $26.3 million “for the design, development, and production of a high power (tens of kilowatts) fiber laser,” which it expects to start testing on a tactical fighter jet in four years.
b9nXj TIL that skeletal muscles are strong enough to break bones. After tetanus contraction, the bacteria interferes with normal muscle nerve function. Muscular contractions can become strong enough to break the spine.
0w8pR TIL after the Pope banned joining the Freemasons in 1738, a group of Catholics started their own secret society named 'The Order of the Pug' in which initiation involved wearing a collar, walking on all fours, pawing at the door to be let in, getting barked at and kissing a pug statue's butt.
kOoeE TIL that during the battle of Okinawa, a US destroyer was hit by four bombs, six kamikaze attacks, multiple strafing, and still remained afloat. When the captain was asked to abandon ship, he angrily replied "I'll never abandon ship as long as a single gun will fire."