› added 3 months ago

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TIL about Ludger Sylbaris, a jailed Martiniquais sailor, who survived the 1902 Mount Pelée eruption that claimed ~30,000 lives, because his stone-walled, bomb-proof underground cell acted as a makeshift bunker.

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oRx4A TIL of NYC's Clean Car Program: after years of unsuccessfully preventing tagging of parked subway cars, NYC changed its approach in 1984. Any cars with graffiti were cleaned within two hours or removed from service. The last graffiti covered car was removed from service on May 12, 1989.
nWXer TIL that leaving a Plasma Globe Lamp near a device like a laptop or a phone sends a strong enough radio signal to mess with the functionality of it.
7rW87 TIL Roughly half of the antacids produced are fed to cows to offset the effects of a forced corn diet.
nW64o TIL: To prevent mix-ups in crematories, corpses are assigned a number and metal ID tag which stays with the body from start to finish. The tag assures families and regulators that they are receiving the ashes of their loved one and not someone else.
4X0LR TIL A man was jailed for 17 years until lawyers found his doppelganger with the same first name. The authorities reversed his conviction.