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TIL when Michael Richards apologized on David Letterman for his racist outburst in 2006, the audience laughed, thinking it was a joke.

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R7n0j Humpback whales are far better known for their bellowing "songs" that can travel up to six miles, but the animals also have quiet voices. Biologists have observed humpback calves “whispering” to their mothers in tones that can be heard only within 330 feet—a strategy to prevent predators, such as orcas, from eavesdropping. Calves also want to avoid adult male humpbacks, which may try to separate the calf from its mother to mate. This shortened time with its mom could ultimately weaken the calf, which needs to drink 50 gallons of milk a day to fuel up for its long migration.
VMYe0 TIL that 4 hippos from drug kingpin Pablo Escobar’s private zoo have multiplied into as many as 50 roaming free in Colombia as the largest invasive species in the world.
v18yj TIL at the Maxi Trial, the largest ever trial against the Sicilian Mafia, there was a specially constructed bunker to house the proceedings that was strong enough to resist a missile attack, just to protect against Mafia interference.
0wjbj TIL light can propel spacecraft. Solar sails use radiation pressure exerted by sunlight to propel themselves in space, absorbing the momentum from incoming photons. Such technology has been theorized since the 1980s, and came true in 2010 with IKAROS, a small satellite.
PYn1n TIL that a NYPD officer was killed by Nation of Islam members in a mosque while responding to a fake call for help and the investigation was practically shut down following political pressure from Louis Farrakhan and others.