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TIL The F-104 Starfighter jet had such an abysmal safety record it was called the Widowmaker in West Germany. 292 of 916 units were lost to accidents there. Other countries reported similar rates

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Brl6L TIL The formal clothing of the Roman Citizen was the Toga. During Roman elections, those running for political office would rub their Toga with a dazzling white chalk to stand out. Called Toga Candida (pure-white) this clothing was the origin of the word "candidate".
oBYLR TIL about castrato, a type of classical male singing voice equivalent to that of a soprano, mezzo-soprano, or contralto. The voice is produced by castration of the singer before puberty to preserve their high pitch.
gMnl4 TIL Heinz ketchup became so popular because Heinz invented a way to keep commercially produced ketchup red, which allowed him to package it in clear glass bottle and look more appealing. Before it, commercially produced ketchup was brown.
ragd TIL In 2012 the voters of Cook County in Illinois once again voted to keep a clinically insane judge on the bench. Judge Cynthia Brimm has had multiple hospitalizations following courtroom psychotic breakdowns and refuses to take her prescribed anti-psychotic medication.
D14Dp TIL an octopus named Otto caused an aquarium power outage by climbing to the edge of his tank and shooting a jet of water at a bright light that was annoying him. He's also been seen juggling hermit crabs, throwing rocks at the glass and re-arranging his tank surroundings.