› added 3 years ago

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TIL Persian King Cambyses won the battle of Pelusium against Egypt by using their reverence of animals against them - his front line was dogs, sheep, cats, ibises & whatever other animals the Egyptians hold dear, & the Persian soldiers had the image of Bastet (cat goddess) painted on their shields.

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W7xNd TIL that in the 1970s, the CIA developed a mechanical dragonfly as a spy gadget, but the project was scrapped because the device was difficult to control in outdoor conditions.
Qj9L TIL 98% of pet exotic cats die within 2 years.
O4a1 TIL that in 1996, a female gorilla named Binti Jua saved the life of a 3 year old boy who fell into her encampment by carefully carrying him to the door and growling at any approaching gorilla
nY4P TIL that the reward of 72 virgins may be a mistranslation. The reward for martyrdom may actually be raisins.
Ooae1 TIL Titanic survivors were charged $1 per word to send telegrams from their lifeboat. One man used his last dollar to send the word 'safe' to his mother.