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TIL Operation Tracer was a top-secret WWII mission in which six men were to be buried alive inside the Rock of Gibraltar so they could monitor enemy movements after the Rock’s capture. There was no way out and anyone who died within the chamber would have to be embalmed and cemented into the floor.

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5V9Qr TIL that Rüppell's griffon vulture has the highest documented altitude of any bird at 36k feet. Unfortunately this information was discovered after a Boeing 747 took the bird into the engine over western Africa.
P1eDe TIL that Charlotte Hughes celebrated her 110th birthday by flying on Concorde - the oldest person to fly on a commercial aircraft. When the Wright Flyer first flew in 1903, she was 26 years old.
oBEBo TIL that, in 1986, Michael Moore was an editor for the progressive magazine Mother Jones. He was fired after only four months. The reasoning behind his firing is disputed, but he sued for $2 million, settled for $58,000, and used that money to fund his first movie.
YpWoA TIL that viruses can 'eavesdrop' on 'communication' made by bacteria to time their infection on bacteria to conduct a larger killing spree. The new discovery can allow scientists to kill certain bacteria causing human diseases by programming the virus to attack it.
JYE78 TIL that in 1937, James Naismith - the inventor of basketball - advocated for a four-point shot for shots made beyond half court. "A field goal from anywhere past the center of the court should count four points instead of the regular two."