› added 10 years ago

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TIL that in the Cold War, the United States spent millions of dollars to supply Afghan schoolchildren with textbooks filled with violent images and militant Islamic teachings, in order to spur resistance to the Soviet occupation.

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via reddit.com

4XLgw TIL that thanks to Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust the current total population of Mauritius Kestrels is approximately 350. When they started their conservation work, there was just 4 remaining on Earth, with only two of them being a breeding pair.
l7pwa TIL, The Netherlands gift Canada 10,000 Tulip bulbs for them to plant in Ottawa as a tradition each year to thank them for protecting the Dutch Royal Family in World War 2 😭😭
ANK1g TIL that John Clem is the youngest noncommissioned officer in the history of the United States Army at the age of 12.
5VKWQ TIL that the speed of light was first measured accurately in 1676 by Danish astronomer Ole Rømer using observations of Jupiter’s moons, without modern technology
nZ7b TIL Dogfish Head brewery produces an “ancient ale,” the recipe for which is based on chemicals and pollen found on a 3,500 year-old Danish drinking vessel.