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TIL Doug Hegdahl was captured during the Vietnam War and while pretending to be stupid was able to disabled enemy trucks, memorize info about 250 fellow prisoners, and, after being released, participated in the Paris Peace Talks, which eventually helped to free said prisoners.

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GLDQ TIL that in 1986, 1.5 million ballons were released over Cleveland, causing 2 deaths and millions in damages through lawsuits.
E1Kx TIL In 1941-42, during ‘Operation Barbarossa’, the Nazi’s captured roughly 5.5 million Soviet prisoners of war resulting in one of the most concentrated mass killings in human history
or7R TIL the Cult Awareness Network listed Scientology as the #1 most dangerous cult. Scientologists sued them into bankruptcy and now owns the New Cult Awareness Network
R58J4 TIL Christine Maggiore founded the HIV/AIDS denialism group Alive and Well. Maggiore herself then died of aids in 2008.
0BRy TIL Thomas Paine proposed a “Citizen’s Dividend” upon the principle that the natural world is the common property of all persons so all citizens receive regular payments (dividends) from revenue raised by leasing or taxing the monopoly of valuable land and other natural resources…