› added 11 years ago

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TIL in 2006, The FBI planted an informant in a South California mosque who pretended to be a radical muslim, and the muslims in the mosque reported him to the FBI

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8ajya TIL that, on the same day that James Van Allen announced his discovery of the radiation belts that now bear his name, the US military contacted him to inquire about firing nukes into them.
KOQ79 TIL when a persistent Washington DC bookstore clerk exposed Stephen King as the true author of books written under the name Richard Bachman, King's publishers sent out a press release announcing Bachman's death from "cancer of the pseudonym."
9LPD TIL Texas is #1 in toxic chemicals released into water, carcinogens released into air, carbon dioxide emissions, hazardous waste, #2 in overall birth rate, #50 in % with high school diploma, population insured, women receiving prenatal care in first trimester
BPrd TIL President Lincoln signed a mandatory draft law that allowed the rich to buy their way out.
Brjgd TIL the concept of the Hogwart’s houses in the Harry Potter series, was difficult to communicate for translators of foreign editions since in some cultures there was no way of adequately describing the significance of belonging to house or being loyal to one.