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TIL The Man in the Iron Mask, a popular legend of movies, books, & media, was a real person who was imprisoned for 34 years in France and died in the Bastille in 1703. Although theories abound, no verifiable data can confirm his true identity or the crime he was sentenced for.

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8kEb TIL In 1945, a B-25 bomber pilot crashed into the Empire State Building’s elevator shaft, snapping the cable. By the time the carriage reached the bottom, a thousand feet of cable had piled up beneath it acting like a spring, which allowed the lone occupant in the car to escape injured but alive.
E1Blp TIL the disembodied hand of the Statue of Liberty sat in Madison Square for 6 years to raise money for the rest of the statue
PRje TIL Canada puts 10.7% of their GDP into health care and covers all citizens, while the US spends 17.1% and doesn’t
yQZOe TIL that, in 1950, a special agent reported the discovery of three UFOs in New Mexico to the director of the FBI, as well as 3 non-human bodies found inside of them. The entire report is available to read thanks to the Freedom of Information Act.
5r8p TIL An artist carved a black violin (Blackbird) from his grandfather’s headstone (diabase), and used mammoth ivory for the bridge, gold leaf for the interior, Harjedalan (black) rock for the back plate, and ebony for the rest. It took him 2 years to make and weighs 2 kilograms.