› added 10 years ago

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TIL When Guinea declared its independence from France, the French retaliated by burning office files, cutting telephone lines, and even ripped electrical sockets out of walls before leaving the country, effectively cutting off all aid

Y7Q9W TIL about Mongolian Prime Minister Peljidiin Genden who in 1935 slapped Joseph Stalin during a political argument
nONB TIL that after Hurricane Katrina, Cuba & Venezuela were the first countries to offer assistance, pledging over $1 million, several mobile hospitals, water treatment plants, canned food, bottled water, heating oil, 1,100 doctors and 26.4 metric tons of medicine -but were rejected by the US Government
kOPxE TIL that when a child actor is cast in California, a trust fund, or Coogan account, is setup to store at least 15% of their earnings. This was after the parents of Jackie Coogan, a child star from some early Charlie Chaplin movies, squandered nearly all of his fortune before he reached adulthood
GAOj TIL Napoleon requested a communication method that woud not require light or sound. The result was Night Writing, a tactile military code that was rejected as too difficult for Napoleon’s troops, but which became the basis for Braille.
woVEo TIL the only reason we have video of Game 7 of the 1960 World Series is because Bing Crosby was too nervous to watch the game live so he had a company record the game for him. During this time TV networks didn't keep records of the games. The tape was found 50 years later in his wine cellar.