TIL that until 1999 in Germany, bribes were a tax-deductible business expense, and there were no penalties for bribing foreign officials. The German company Siemens used to engage in bribery in developing countries, where bribery was common, and continued to do so after criminalizing it in 1999.
TIL "jerry-rigged" is actually spelled "jury-rigged," from "jury" as in "temporary" and "rig" from its sailing origins.
TIL that while serving in the United States Army Elvis Presley was promoted to the rank of sergeant and was awarded the Army Good Conduct Medal. He was also qualified as an expert marksman with multiple weapons.
TIL there is a 1,700 year old Ethiopian counterpart of the Rosetta Stone called the Ezana Stone. The inscription commemorates Ethiopian military victories and their conversion to Christianity in their native language Ge’ez, as well as ancient Greek and South Arabian Sabaen.