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TIL that in 2003 the Russian government sent a special forces death squad to kill a human rights activist in retaliation for her filing a complaint in the European Court of Human Rights

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via reddit.com

jr4R TIL that riot control agents (e.g. pepper sprays) are considered chemical weapons and forbidden in warfare
OGa51 TIL of the Benjamin Duke House on 5th Avenue in New York City. It was completed in 1901 for an heir to the Duke tobacco fortune. It remained in the Duke Family for more than a century and In 2006 it sold to a former taxi driver for $40 million, the most ever paid for a Manhattan residence.
kxX5 TIL If Britain were a U.S. state, it would be the second-poorest, behind Alabama and before Mississippi
Z89OQ TIL that the neutron star 'PSR J1748-2446ad' rotates on its axis 716 times per second, and is the fastest spinning known neutron star. At its equator, it spins at 24 percent of the speed of light.
7rlKp TIL that the “You Think I’m Funny?” scene in Goodfellas was based off of Joe Pesci’s real life. Scorsese allowed Pesci & Liotta to improvise the scene. He did not tell the other actors in the scene what would happen because he wanted their genuine surprised reactions.