“The Soviets placed several agents inside the Pentagon to find out what was going on at the busy meeting spot in its center. It turned out to be a hot dog stand.”

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"They also installed “additional wires” to override the cat’s sense of hunger—whatever that means. It sounds like they spent a lot of time, money, and effort mutilating a poor cat and damaging its brain."

"Fun fact: there was an army in ancient Greece—the Sacred Band of Thebes—made up of 150 male couples. The idea was that their devotion to one another and the desire to protect a lover would make them fight more fiercely. By most accounts, they did pretty well. Which raises a question: what if it had worked—but backfired?"

"Not just that—the CIA would also drug each other in lunchrooms and at parties to observe how their own agents reacted."

"It’s what’s called a “signaling bill.” It’s a way of telegraphing a position publicly in a way that either gives pause to others or appeases a particular interest.

There’s no way it would ever be used, because the consequences would immediately make the United States a pariah and risk collapsing the global order it helps sustain. What this really was was a repudiation of European and international institutions’ opposition to the global war on terror.

Essentially, it’s the political version of 'go bleep yourself.'"

"Years ago, I remember reading an article that said all the paper supplies—cups, napkins, straw wrappers, and so on—for fast food chains came from a single supplier."

"And who chaired the DNC before Wasserman Schultz stepped in? Tim Kaine, who would later go on to become Clinton’s vice-presidential running mate."

"This is partially true. The trolley system was also already falling out of favor and on its way out, as more people began to prefer cars. At the same time, more Americans were moving into suburban tract housing, which was easier to access and navigate by car and freeway systems.

The trolley system had also become slower and expensive to maintain, which was difficult to sustain with declining ridership. Multiple private companies operated different lines but failed to invest in them properly, leading to inconsistent service and a run-down network.

Trolleys increasingly came to be seen as being in the way of cars and 'progress.'"

"'Jays' was also a derogatory term used to describe unsophisticated people."

"It was also considered a very serious insult at the time, reportedly on par with some of the harshest slurs, so no one wanted to be labeled a 'jaywalker.'"

"Zinc cadmium sulfide is a mixture of zinc sulfide (ZnS) and cadmium sulfide (CdS), used for its fluorescent properties. The chemical can bioaccumulate along the food chain, including in plants and seafood.

Long-term or repeated exposure is expected to have harmful effects on the kidneys, bones, and respiratory system, potentially leading to kidney impairment, osteoporosis (bone weakness), and chronic inflammation of the respiratory tract."

"They later found that Serratia marcescens was not entirely harmless, as initially believed. In large enough doses—such as those used in the experiment, where nearly all of the city’s 800,000 residents may have inhaled at least 5,000 particles—it could cause serious, sometimes deadly infections, particularly in immunocompromised individuals. This led to further research, but not much else in terms of accountability.

At least one person is widely believed to have died as a result (and possibly many more; there were spikes in IV-related infections, UTIs, cardiac infections, pneumonia, and more). Although legal cases followed, the US government investigated and consistently found itself not at fault, citing a lack of definitive proof that the specific bacteria released that day caused those illnesses or deaths, since it is a naturally occurring microbe.

Legal technicalities aside, it was already fairly clear in 1950 that this was a bad idea. Yet, in true American fashion, similar experiments continued in other cities over the years using different 'harmless' bacteria and chemicals."

"'We could arrest their leaders, raid their homes, break up their meetings, and vilify them night after night on the evening news. Did we know we were lying about the drugs? Of course we did.'"

"The combination of steel, aluminium, and the salt in the lasagna effectively creates a battery. Over time, the aluminium can begin to break down, leading to small holes forming in the foil."

"However, controlled supply and market practices have kept retail prices, especially for diamond rings, much higher than they might otherwise be. They also helped popularise the distinction between “natural” and synthetic diamonds, even though, in most cases, it’s extremely difficult for the average person to tell the difference."

"A significant portion of the remaining diamond supply is linked to Russian production, which has been associated with funding state activities."

"There were several other attempts: toxin plots involving botulism and tuberculosis, the famous 'exploding cigar,' a booby-trapped conch shell, a bomb placed at the Hemingway Museum in Cuba, poisoned cold cream, and further failed assassination plots involving firearms. Even as late as 2000, a bomb hidden beneath a stage where he was due to speak was discovered by his security in advance."

Text has been edited for length and clarity.