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TIL of the Great Toyota War, which was the last phase of the Chadian–Libyan conflict in 1987, on the Libyan–Chadian border. It takes its name from the vehicles used, the Toyota Hilux and the Toyota Land Cruiser, to provide mobility for the Chadian troops as they fought against the Libyans.

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EaLw TIL that after visiting the Three Mile Island nuclear plant’s accident in 1979, Jimmy Carter—trained in nuclear power from the US Navy—told his cabinet that the incident was minor. The president did not say so in public, however, to avoid offending fellow Democrats who opposed nuclear power.
9w0Kr TIL the Japanese word "saboru". In the early 1900s, "sabotage" caught on in Japan to describe industrial actions. However, it was shortened and took on a different meaning: "cutting classes" or "skipping work". Now it’s so casually used that even some native speakers don’t realize it’s a loanword.
mkwo TIL the scene in The Shawshank Redemption where Morgan Freeman is pitching a baseball took 9 hours to shoot. He pitched it for the entire 9 hours without a single word of complaint and showed up for work the next day with his arm in a sling.
nW79o TIL Prison Rodeo is a real thing - inmates play poker in the middle of a rodeo with a raging bull and have to sit and resist the urge to run from it in order to win money
QNrRX TIL that in France if you want to register your pedigree dog, you have to give it a name starting with the letter of the year it is born. This year's letter is V.