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TIL In 2005 an Oxford University student died when hurled 30 metres through the air by trebuchet. He was a member of the Oxford Stunt Factory, previously known as the Dangerous Sports Club. The most famous member was Graham Chapman of Monty Python, who also used a catapult in the Holy Grail.

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Y1WZ TIL that American mapmakers included a false town to try and catch plagiarism
gWKD TIL that the Army will be replacing its ineffective ‘digital print’ camo gear in early 2013
78odO TIL there are only three flights operating weekly to and from Tuvalu in the South Pacific. When not in use, the Funafuti Airport airstrip turns into a common area for sports and social activities. A siren blares when it is time for residents to clear the runway due to an approaching flight.
X7WE TIL: In 1943, WWII destroyer O'Bannon found itself too close to a surfaced Japanese submarine to aim its guns. US Sailors saved the ship by throwing potatoes at the Japanese crew running to the sub’s deck gun.
W8LB TIL Rutka Laskier, a Jewish girl from Poland who died in Auschwitz at the age of 14, wrote a diary describing her experiences under Nazi occupation. Her diary was published in 2006 and she has become known as the “Polish Anne Frank.”