› added 9 years ago

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TIL that the pilot episode of an offshoot of The X-Files called The Lone Gunmen featured its heroes racing to stop a plane getting hijacked by govt agents and flown into the World Trade Center to increase defense spending while blaming foreign enemies. Aired 6 months before 9/11.

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ADyjw TIL Sweden had a nuclear weapons program in the 50's and early 60's. They had the necessary materials and came very close to building a nuclear bomb before the program was shut down due to changing military doctrine, public opposition, and pressure from the United States.
yVj0p TIL there's a spider, Cyclosa ginnaga, that builds larger, fake spider decoys in its web to deter predators. The decoys are made from debris, insect carcasses, and silk.
x61aB TIL that Tarzan actor and Olympic swimmer Johnny Weismuller and his brother were swimming in Lake Michigan when they saw a boat capsize. They pulled at least 14 people from the water, and 11 of those people survived.
o6kL TIL dolphins will play with whales by lying on the whale’s head while the whale slowly raises it above the water’s surface
WGNo TIL that Randy Newman considers Notorious B.I.G.’s Ready to Die “one of the best records ever made”