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TIL that in March of 1910 Harry Houdini was the first aviator to fly over Australian soil. He is also the first aviator to have film documentation of his flights. After his Australian tour, Houdini never flew again.

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via reddit.com

78GJX TIL: In 1999 the Deer Terrace Pavilion was uncovered in China dating back to 1046 BC. It was a pool named the "Lake of Wine and Forest of Meat" which was filled with wine and meat was hung around it. King Zhou reportedly died there after his defeat and burned it, his jewels, and himself.
8ajQL TIL the striped appearance of some tulips was originally caused by a virus that infects their bulbs to “break” their solid colors. This appearance was highly sought after during the 17th century Dutch “tulip mania;” however, the virus results in smaller tulips with weakened bulbs and shorter stems.
VBVVk TIL: The Lenski Experiment, a 34 year-long experiment with bacteria, has studied over 75,000 generations of E.coli since 1988z
a8Dwy TIL that in 2012, The Doors' song "Break On Through (To The Other Side)" was played on planet Mars each morning during the NASA Mars Curiosity mission.
QJmQe TIL Japan's execution system is done only by hanging, with prisoners in "detention centers" being taken to an execution chamber and dropped to their death using a trapdoor.