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TIL thieves stole a radiotherapy unit from an abandoned hospital and sold it for scrap. The caesium unit was opened and admired for its mysterious blue glow. Hundreds fell ill and 4 people died of radiation poisoning.

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EeAP TIL that the 80 members of the Doolittle Raid received engraved goblets for their bravery. Anytime a raider passes, the goblet is turned upside down at their reunion. The goal was for the last 2 goblets to drink 1896 cognac, the year Doolittle was born, as of 2015 there are 3 raiders left.
QkRd TIL a prison inmate tried to sue himself for allowing himself to get drunk and ruin his life. He demanded 5 million from himself and reasoned that the state should pay since he didn’t get a salary behind bars.
xVgJw TIL that when all cables were suspended form poles, the insane number of cables created a rather strange and sometimes even scary streetscape.
rR8Oy TIL the 435 illustrations in John Audubon’s book “The Birds of America”, which feature 1,037 species of birds, were life-sized. The pages were 39x26 in. (about 100x66 cm).
arjb TIL Mao Zedong ordered the people of China to kill sparrows because they steal grain. Since sparrows also eat insects, their absence caused a locust epidemic that ravaged crops and killed millions of people.