› added 1 year ago

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TIL that before the raid of Osama Bin Laden in 2011, two 1:1 scaled versions of his Pakistani compound were built in the US, for SEALs to practice their raid on. The elevation of these test compounds was also built to be at the same level, to test the affect it would have on the raid helicopters.

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rRv91 TIL The reason Roman structures survive so long is because they used volcanic ash in their concrete, which slowly transforms to aluminum tobermorite when exposed to sea water. Something modern scientists have been trying to do for decades.
YbYA TIL in 1945, Grace Hopper traced a computer problem to a moth between the relays, then taped it up into her log book and wrote, “First actual case of a bug being found.” This popularized the terms “bug” and “debug” and her log book is now stored within the Smithsonian.
N7yxN TIL of the Axial Age is era between 8th to the 3rd century BCE when many great sages appeared, including the Buddha, Socrates, Confucius, Jeremiah and the mystics of the Upanishads. It's been described by as 'a deep breath, a pause for liberty between the age of empires' where a new humanity began.
MxOV TIL that former NBA star Dennis Rodman claims he is the oldest of ~46 children. His father says it’s “only” ~29.
gMZ8W TIL Nebraska, the only triply landlocked state in the US, has a navy. The position of Nebraska admiral has been awarded as a joke for decades, with admirals including Big Bird and David Letterman.