› added 13 years ago

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TIL that Major Charles Sweeny, pilot of the B29 that nuked Nagasaki, ignored direct orders during the bombing, nearly causing the plane to crash from low fuel. Instead of investigating Sweeny’s conduct, the chief of staff for the Strategic Air Forces simply stated “You fucked up, didn’t you, Chuck?”

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nenpd TIL Al Capone was the first person to open a soup kitchen to feed the poor during the Depression. At a time of 25 percent unemployment, Capone's kitchens served three meals a day to ensure that everyone who had lost a job could get a meal. Soon, every city and town had a soup kitchen.
YYLx TIL nutrient laden sand from the Sahara desert travels more than 3,000 miles to fertilize soil in the Amazon. It is one of the leading reasons for the extreme biodiversity of the region.
jNm9Q TIL Ken Kutaragi, the Father of the PlayStation, was nearly sacked by Sony because he was working with Nintendo on the side without Sony’s knowledge. Sony eventually kept him which led to the launch of one of the world’s best selling product series of all time.
PYQAn TIL roughly 3 to 5 percent of the world’s population has an apathy toward music known as "musical anhedonia," in which their brain is biologically incapable of responding to any music whatsoever.
OE77 TIL that just before the Halifax Explosion, a train dispatcher who saw the cargo ship with the explosives catch fire sent a message saying “Hold up the train. Ammunition ship afire in harbor making for Pier 6 and will explode. Guess this will be my last message. Good-bye boys.”