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TIL that after the disaster of ‘The Coconut Grove’ fire in 1942, where in a mad panic to escape the fire people were crushed against the inward opening doors and could not pull them open, all public buildings had to have doors which opened outward

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5Y0KB TIL of a sociological theory that posits most Americans are believers of a "civil religion" - which enshrines sacred symbols such as the flag, claims America's prosperity is due to divine providence, and idolizes soldiers and veterans as martyrs for a higher American purpose
Brjob TIL There is a "Game of Life" which is a 0 player game requiring only an input of initial state of boxes (on/off) on an infinite 2d grid and the boxes evolve into generations creating beautiful patterns by following 4 simple rules that mimic life
dEEZ TIL - In the late 1980s, Iraq began building the largest artillery piece in history, a gun that could have put satellites into Orbit, and conceivably hit any spot on the planet. However, the mysterious assassination of its Canadian designer, and the first Gulf War, ended the project
y88a TIL that Wimbledon finalist Andy Murray is a survivor of the Dunblane school massacre where 17 adults and children were killed and that his mother gave the killer lifts in her car.
b6nNZ TIL Conscription in Germany was active till 2011