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p8bnZ TIL the US Navy conducted mock air attacks by aircraft carrier on Pearl Harbor in 1932 and 1938. In both exercises the attacks were successful, demonstrating the importance of air power over battleships. Both exercises were ignored by the US Navy but were studied carefully by the IJN.
BrDMd TIL that Genrich Altshuller, a Soviet engineer, was given a 25-year prison sentence for sending Joseph Stalin a letter explaining a desire to improve Soviet engineering. He later went on to write science fiction books and found a famous engineering school.
VMP8G TIL that during WWII, the US military developed a manual to sabotage German corporations, with tips such as "Do your work poorly and blame it on bad tools. Work slowly. Bring up irrelevant issues as frequently as possible. Spread rumors. Haggle over precise wordings. Never permit short-cuts."