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TIL the Statue of Liberty's torch has been closed to the public since July 30, 1916 when it sustained structural damage from the Black Tom explosion - an act of German sabotage targeting a US munitions depot during WWI

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a8VpJ TIL that in WW2, a Marine Corps Corsair pilot used his propeller to chew off the tail of an enemy aircraft after his guns jammed, while under fire from the enemy plane's tailgunner. The enemy plane crashed but the Corsair pilot made it back to base, receiving the Navy Cross for his actions.
6QOm TIL that sea otters lick and fluff their newborn for hours, causing their pup’s fur to retain enough air to act as a floatation device.
QNKg9 TIL there's no town Sweet Home, Alabama, but there is a Sweet Home, Oregon
R5aKl TIL that in 1905 President Theodore Roosevelt threatened to ban American Football after 19 college students died that year playing the game. In response, 62 colleges and universities met in New York City to discuss rule changes, where they formed the athletic association that would become the NCAA.
4kVMo TIL U.S. Air Force Captain Chuck Yeager becomes the first person to fly faster than the speed of sound, at the controls of his rocket-powered Bell X-1, named “Glamorous Glennus” for his wife, breaks the sound barrier. Yeager achieves a top speed of Mach 1.07 before descending safely.