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TIL that Margaret Thatcher was opposed to the fall of the Berlin Wall and actively tried to stop it

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6E8Y7 TIL that Ted Kaczynski (the Unabomber), Ramzi Yousef (the 1993 World Trade Center bomber), and Timothy McVeigh (the Oklahoma City bomber), all became friends in prison, and regularly discussed religion and politics until McVeigh's execution.
BgOmK TIL that congress authorized the guards of the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetary to abandon their post due to hurricane Sandy. They refused and continued their duty.
GYj1g TIL that the first person executed by guillotine was a French highwayman named Nicolas Pelletier in 1792. This was done because decapitation was the only legal method of capital punishment and the executioner preferred not to use a sword as it reminded him of the former privileges of the nobility.
b9ra4 TIL the strongest correlation with high IQ and personality traits is openness. It is thought individuals with a high level of openness enjoy the experience of learning and prefer an intellectually stimulating environment.
0wyXp TIL that most safety features found in cars and other vehicles saw a boom in popularity from the creation of one car, the Tucker 48. Safety features included a pop out windshield, padded dashboard, and even a swivelling headlight depending on which direction you were steering.