› added 7 years ago

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TIL that before the start of the football season, an MIT student trained pigeons near the Harvard football stadium to respond to whistles as a prank. When the whistle was blown to begin the Harvard-Yale opening game, the field was overrun by the birds.

9YlGm TIL that IPA (India Pale Ale) beer was invented because in the 1700s, it took a long time to ship beer from England to India that it would spoil in transit. So brewers increased the hops and alcohol content making it last the trip, but also gave it that distinct bitter taste.
OoRKX TIL that Bill Murray once drove a taxi cab so that the cab driver could spend time playing saxophone in the backseat. The cab driver mentioned that he never had time to play his sax since he had to work 14 hours a day. Murray took the driver’s seat so that he could finally play some tunes.
R7p67 TIL that US and UK were reluctant to release info about the Holocaust, as they felt that the extreme stories would undermine the credibility of both governments. US also didn't want to turn the war into being about Jews, as antisemitism was quite common in US at the time.
WkPWN TIL In 1999 Pope John Paul II released an album. It had entirely original compositions and reached #175 on the billboard charts
ewXL TIL actor Werner Herzog was shot while filming an interview by an unknown individual with an air rifle. Herzog continued the interview and showed his wound on camera but acted as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened, remarking, “It is not a significant bullet.”