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TIL the 1965 Spiegelman's Monster experiment demonstrated genetic replication and evolution in real-time at the molecular level, showing how natural selection could drive the emergence of more efficient genetic replication, even in an artificial setting.

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8NK8 TIL That when Germany beat England in a game of football ferry workers in Scotland let any car with German license plates go for free.
rPrd TIL the producers of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest asked local car salesman Mel Lambert to help them find grotesque-looking locals to play extras. Lambert placed an ad asking “Do You Have a Face That Scares Timberwolves?” Despite subsequent editorials protesting the insult, the ad was a success.
We4L TIL one of the Popes was a 100% accident. In the Middle Ages, cardinals would often vote for a random candidate on the first papal ballot in order to see how the other cardinals were leaning, but in 1334 this backfired when they all voted for the same person: the very surprised Pope Benedict XII.
R55Wj TIL the painting Woman in Gold was stolen by the Nazis from its Jewish owners in 1941 and displayed at the Galerie Belvedere in Austria. The gallery refused to return the art to their original owners and in 2006 after a 7 year legal claim which included a hearing in front of SCOTUS, it was returned
O81e TIL: In 1875, James Wickham brought whales to Great Salt Lake. He had two 35-foot Australian whales shipped to Great Salt Lake (by boat to San Francisco and then by rail to Salt Lake City) wherein he released them. Off they swam, never to be seen again!