› added 9 years ago

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TIL Dragon’s Blood is a real ingredient and has been used since ancient times as varnish, medicine, incense, and dye. In modern times, it is used to make an anti-diarrheal drug.

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E1mjw TIL that in WW2, US used Native Americans for message encryption. They were called "code talkers" as they simply talked in their native language for transmitting the messages. This allowed fast communication over open channels as enemy was unable to break this code. Was crucial in winning the war.
K894 TIL while in high school the physicist Michio Kaku built a 2.3 million volt atom smasher betatronic accelerator in his garage
QNG8d TIL Iranian general Fathollah Minbashian was fired by Shah Pahlavi for being too resistant to foreign interests. After the Shah was overthrown, he offered to serve the new Islamic Republic, but they refused and ironically demanded that he report for the crime of collaborating with foreign powers.
OGEVR Today I Learned that the longest judicial trial in the history of the United States was the Pizza Connection Trial, where the Sicilian Mafia processed Heroin and Morphine for sale in Pizza Parlors during the 70's and 80's
WXk4 TIL There’s a guy who people hire to steal back boats that got shipjacked by pirates and corrupt governments. His name? MAX HARDBERGER.