› added 6 years ago

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TIL in 1977, the Church of Scientology tried to assassinate an author who was critical of them.

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via reddit.com

OxPL TIL that PayPerView events can cost bars and restaurants thousands of dollars to show them, and PayPerView sends spies out to make sure non-paying establishments aren’t showing them and sues those that are caught.
PYGBO TIL that for 15 years, Sweden thought enemy submarines were invading their waters, but it turned out to be farting herrings. Shoals were huge enough for the collective flatulence to register on military radar, producing sounds and small bubbles which were mistakenly identified as Russian subs.
mLbP TIL there is a hypothesis that life originated on Mars and was transported to Earth on meteorites
ANAMg TIL of a Bolivian beverage called « Cocoroco » that boasts an incredibly high alcohol content of 96%.
VMklk TIL the Molotov Cocktail was not invented by Russians, but instead by under-supplied Finns who used them as improvised anti-tank weapons against the USSR in the Winter War. The famous Finnish alcoholic beverage company ALKO actually switched to mass producing Molotov Cocktails during the war.