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TIL that a Russian pilot went against regulations and let his 16 year old son sit at the controls of the plane. His son accidentally disabled the autopilot, the plane then crashed and killed all on board.

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via ift.tt

16gX8 TIL of Pope Stephen VI who instigated the Cadaver Synod in which he ordered a trial of deceased Pope Formosus on grounds of acting as Bishop after he was deposed. The corpse was exhumed, propped up upon a throne. A deacon stood behind answering questions as the deceased. Formosus was found guilty.
gMkLb TIL that Nazis flooded archaeological site of Biskupin, a late Bronze Age fortified settlement and instrumental part of Polish historical consciousness, in hopes to destroy it. Ironically it led to very good preservation of the ancient timbers.
lbxG TIL actor Wallace Shawn, while playing Vizzini (“Inconceivable!”) in The Pricess Bride, didn’t understand the movie’s sense of humor. Director Rob Reiner gave him line readings, and he merely imitated them.
JYLdQ TIL Saladin (of crusader-era fame) ordered an elaborate pulpit to be installed in the Al-Aqsa Mosque (Jerusalem) during the 12th century. Over 900 years later, it was destroyed in an arson attack by an Australian man who then spent 5 years in an Israeli mental institution before being deported.
GYN5E TIL Pope Gregory IX declared that cats were associated with the devil and had them exterminated across Europe. It's believed that the disappearance of cats helped rats proliferate and spread the bubonic plague.