› added 13 years ago

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TIL ITT Corporation backed coups with the CIA in Brazil and Chile to keep their phone companies from being nationalized by the governments in power.

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wL6O7 TIL German-Italian microcar BMW Isetta was modified to hide a person inside the engine bay in order to escape unsuspecting East German border police. Nine people were able to defect successfully before being discovered.
VZ40 TIL Chickens and turkeys are more closely related to dinosaurs than any other bird
b9Oma TIL: During his sons kidnapping, Frank Sinatra Sr spoke with the kidnappers via payphone often. Worried that he wouldn't have enough change for the call he started to carry 10 dimes wherever he went. He continued to do this for the rest of his life, and was even buried with 10 dimes in his pocket.
M7BYB TIL Francesco Guicciardini's father refused to make his son a priest, out of principal, even if it meant less money. As a layman Francesco ended up working for 20 years as the Pope's right hand man. He privately wrote that he hated the clergy, but self interest demanded to keep working for them
LomP TIL: An Armorer at Barrett Firearms once received a call from US Marines while they were engaged in a firefight and their Barrett rifle was malfunctioning. He walked them through how to repair it over the phone, enabling them to engage their enemies.