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108

TIL: It took 300 years for the Giant Tortoise to get a Latin species designation because they where so delicious that no one survived the voyage back to Europe without being eaten by the humans transporting them.

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v1Vx4 TIL that in 1956, pilot Thomas Fitzpatrick lost a bet at a bar in Manhattan, he successfully stole a plane from the airport and landed it on the street in front of the bar. He did it again 2 years later when someone refused to believe he had done it.
VMJap TIL In 1943, the British took a civilian's corpse, filled his lungs with water, dressed him in a military uniform, gave him fake intelligence letters, and dropped him off the coast of Spain -- all in an elaborate ruse to draw the Germans away from Sicily. It worked.
0wdlM TIL According to Plutarch the traitor Bessus was executed by having two trees forcibly bent towards each other, tied him to both, and then the trees released, causing an agonizing death in which the ligaments, tendons, muscles and organs would slowly come apart as the trees straightened
GX55 TIL Sugar Ray Robinson backed out of a fight because he had a dream that he was going to kill his opponent. After being convinced to fight, he went into the ring and killed his opponent.
Wk9l4 TIL After realizing his voice would be dubbed, David Prowse, the actor for Darth Vader, often improvised his lines which resulted in his co-stars having to respond to the correct lines anyway.