› added 3 years ago

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TIL of Jean de Selys Longchamps, a Belgian aristocrat who flew with the RAF during World War II. After learning that his father had been murdered by the Nazis, he flew to Brussels and machine gunned the Gestapo headquarters. He was demoted for insubordination but also awarded a medal for heroism

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EwoV TIL Freddie Mercury spent his last months recording as many vocals as he could for the rest of Queen to finish after his death
vPbox TIL that just 24 hours after 9/11, 5 players of Chelsea FC went on a five-hour drinking binge in an hotel packed with American tourists stranded by flight cancellations, just after a match they were supposed to play in Bulgaria had been called off as a mark of respect for victims of the attacks
kJwE1 TIL cat taste buds contain the receptors needed to detect umami—the savory, deep flavor of various meats, and one of the five basic tastes in addition to sweet, sour, salty, and bitter.
XEA18 TIL that in 1999, Harvard physicist Lene Hau was able to slow down light to 17 meters per second and in 2001, was able to stop light completely.
P1A7G TIL: Barbra Streisand had her dog cloned twice