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TIL in 2000 an impoundment spill in Martin County, Kentucky emptied 300 million gallons of waste (volume of the Empire State Building) containing mercury and arsenic into rivers feeding the Ohio River. Massey Energy received a $5600 fine by federal regulators.

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Mbxm TIL in 1987 a robbery suspect in Sacramento fled into a darkened movie theater to escape police. He became so engrossed in the movie, Robocop, that he failed to notice that police had evacuated all other patrons from the theatre. When the lights flipped on, the stunned man was taken into custody.
xV185 TIL The Padmanabhaswamy Temple in India has approximately $19 Billion worth of gold and precious stones kept in 8 onsite vaults. One vault is still unopened and what’s kept inside is still unknown.
KOoXJ TIL that George Washington declined to run for a third term of office because he believed his death in office would create an image of a lifetime appointment. The precedent of a two-term limit was created by his retirement from office.
78lyX TIL that the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake was so powerful that it generated “seiches” (standing waves in enclosed bodies of water) of up to 1.5 meters to form as far away as Sognefjorden, Norway.
nXvG TIL that there was a hobbyist photographer who took tens of thousands of pictures in the 50s, mostly in Chicago. She never showed them to anyone or even bothered to develop them and she remained unknown until her death. Now she is considered one of the most important street photographers ever.