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TIL that in 1955, a Sears ad accidentally printed a wrong number for their “Santa hotline”. The number rang up a secret military phone at NORAD, meant to be used in case of a Russian attack. Children called the hotline asking for Santa Claus, and the NORAD Santa Tracker was born.

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W70bA TIL The giant robot suit (Leopardon) used in the Japanese Spider-Man TV show was lost during production. Later episodes had to use stock footage.
GD0j TIL in 1989, for April Fools’ Day, Virgin flew a UFO over London. When they landed, police “sent one lone policeman… across the field to greet the alien… A [character]…, dressed in an ET outfit, walked down the platform towards the bobby. He promptly turned and ran in the opposite direction!”
rRrmM TIL Félicien Kabuga, who evaded arrest for 26 years, is thought to be responsible for supplying militias with 500,000 machetes which slaughtered 800,000 people in the Rwandan genocide.
l5B7 TIL The Joker apparently has the highest body count in the DC universe
M7g6W TIL That the Tina Turner hit We don't need another hero, is a post-apocalyptical song written about escaping Mad Max's Thunderdome.