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TIL Chinese businessman hired a hitman to "take out" his competitor. But the hitman hired another man to do the job — forging a five-man-deep chain of bumbling subcontractors. The plan crumbled when the final hitman met the man, named only as Wei, in a cafe and proposed faking his death.

XEbAX TIL the astronomer Copernicus was buried in a cathedral in Poland, but the exact location of his remains were forgotten for centuries until they were re-discovered in 2005 under the cathedral floor.
nWjMo TIL The British Royal family take part in a live firing exercise within the SAS's "Killing House" incase they are ever held hostage. King Charles wrote a letter to the squadron excusing them of any crimes should he accidentally be killed during the exercise.
4kkBg TIL the first blood transfusion from animal to human, was done by Dr. Jean-Baptiste Denys, physician to King Louis XIV of France. He transfused the blood of a sheep into a 15-year-old boy, who survived likely due to the small amount of blood transferred, helping to withstand an allergic reaction.
wL5wM TIL after the American Physical Society's 1986 conference in Las Vegas, the city asked them never to return, as the MGM Grand casino saw record low profits that week. This is presumed to be because the physicists in attendance knew enough probability theory not to gamble.
jYJa TIL that Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits wrote the song “Money for Nothing” while shopping in an appliance store and overhearing an employee bitch about MTV