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TIL Max Planck, the father of quantum theory, considered his quantum hypothesis just a mathematical trick to get the right answer rather than a sizable discovery until Einstein interpreted his hypothesis realistically and used it to explain physical phenomena.

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jNlYM TIL that the Highest Ranking UN POW captured in the Korean War was US General William F. Dean. The N. Korean advance in 1950 was so rapid, it caught up Dean's HQ, forcing him to participate in the fighting. The general personally fought as tank-hunter & knocked out a few tanks before being captured.
wo6N6 TIL that 1 gram of activated charcoal has a surface area of 32,000 sqft. Regular charcoal is 22-54 sqft
x78g TIL one of the oldest olive trees is 2000-4000 years old, and still produces olives.
mxk7p TIL An Italian economics professor Guido Menzio's flight was delayed because while he was solving a differential equation on the plane, the woman seated next to him called a flight attendant and the pilot asked Menzio to get off the plane and was questioned by airport security.
8gVG TIL An 11 year old boy, dying from brain cancer, told his mother he wanted her to donate his organs so that he could save the lives of other children. He reportedly told her “I have seen many people doing good deeds and I think they are great. I want to be a great child too.”