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TIL that using his knowledge of telephone systems, Kevin Poulsen, alias “Dark Dante,” hacked the phone lines of a radio station to become the winning caller for a brand new Porsche. He was sentenced to 5 years and banned from using computers for years. Later he reinvented himself as a journalist.

j66AE TIL In the first half of the 20th century, state sponsored campaigns dynamited roosting areas, taking large numbers of American Crows. A campaign in Oklahoma from 1934 to 1945 dynamited 3.8 million birds.
d8j6j TIL that the phrase "blood is thicker than water" is not what you think it means (at least in its original context)
R9w9 TIL A man named Charles Holden picked up a hitchhiker, got into a fight with him and ditched him ½ mile away from his house. Later this hitchhiker walked up to a house and killed an elderly woman. This woman was Charles’ mother. The hitchhiker didn’t know they were related.
Lkner TIL in 1996 Michael Hutchence presented Oasis with a Brit Awards trophy and during the acceptance Noel Gallagher said, “Has-beens shouldn't be presenting awards to gonna-bes.” Afterwards, Hutchence secretly re-recorded the INXS song "Elegantly Wasted" to include the chorus, "I am better than Oasis".
7LYM TIL the 1980 satirical disaster comedy “Airplane!” is largely based on the 1957 drama “Zero Hour!” It follows the same plot, uses the same character name for the hero passenger, and parodies numerous scenes using the same dialog word for word.