› added 7 years ago

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TIL most of present-day Boston actually sits on man-made landfill supported by underground wooden pilings

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QJ4pX TIL That Len Bias' death was reported in the media as a crack overdose. Members of the US government used the news to promote the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986 including the 100:1 ratio of crack sentencing. Len Bias actually died of a cocaine overdose, and there is no evidence of him ever using crack.
kJARg TIL that before the raid of Osama Bin Laden in 2011, two 1:1 scaled versions of his Pakistani compound were built in the US, for SEALs to practice their raid on. The elevation of these test compounds was also built to be at the same level, to test the affect it would have on the raid helicopters.
lp0V TIL: Erin Pizzey started one of the first women’s shelters in Canada and the US. Pizzey received death threats and boycotts because of her claim that most domestic violence is reciprocal, and that women are equally capable of violence as men. Pizzey said that the threats were from militant feminists
N7eme TIL a man from China bought a first class ticket which came with access to a VIP lounge that had free food. He rescheduled over 300 times in a year to enjoy over 300 free meals. When investigated, he canceled the ticket and got a full refund
y0v8 TIL that in 1963 Frank Sinatra’s son was kidnapped and the kidnappers demanded to be called on payphone, during one call Frank ran out of coins and thought it cost him his son. Thankfully he got his son back but he was never without a roll dimes again for the rest of his life.