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TIL The French engineer Henri Dupuy de Lôme built the first steam powered warship and the first ironclad warship. Other works by Lôme include airships and an early electric submarine.

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KOeKa TIL that in 1874, the NY Herald published an article about a mass escape of wild animals from the zoo, concluding with "the story given above is a pure fabrication". Most readers overlooked the final paragraph, and it sparked a mass panic, with the NY Times editor leaving his house with two pistols
Mg60 TIL there was a Jewish boxer named Salamo Arouch imprisoned at Auschwitz. While there, he was forced to fight bouts against other prisoners, the losers of which were sent to the gas chambers or shot. He survived over 2 years and 200 bouts, eventually being released when the camp was liberated.
9GOB TIL the Japanese military ran human experiments in China, including organ removal, blood loss, being burnt alive, forced pregnancy followed by vivisection, all without anesthesia. The US gave immunity to those involved in exchange for the data. Many doctors had successful postwar careers. [NSFW]
oB7dE TIL Satirical news site 'The Onion' was almost "...Sued out of existence" in 1996 by Janet Jackson. The article that prompted the lawsuit? "Dying Boy Gets Wish: To Pork Janet Jackson."
loX81 TIL If Earth stopped spinning suddenly, the atmosphere would still be in motion with the Earth's original 1100 mile per hour rotation speed at the equator. All of the land masses would be scoured clean of anything not attached to bedrock.