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TIL During WW2, Britain shipped most of its gold reserves and foreign securities to Canada in crates labeled 'Fish'. They were stored for years in an office building in downtown Montreal, where about 5000 people worked throughout the war without having a clue about what was hidden in their basement.

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4Y1J TIL the origin of the word “decimate” as we use it today came from the Roman military practice of punishing groups of soldiers by executing every 10th man
Wb9N TIL that the “Burning of Atlanta” scene in “Gone with the Wind” was shot with full-size burning facades and all of the only seven Technicolor cameras in existence at the time.
6EWwl TIL about Charley Ross, a 4-year-old American child whose 1874 kidnapping for ransom (considered the first in US history) became a nationwide sensation. Charley, who was never found, was lured by two men offering candy and fireworks, giving rise to the warning "never take candy from strangers".
g6bX TIL a Chinese assassin once killed a king by spending years training as a royal chief, preparing the kings favorite kind of fish and when presenting it to him pulling out a sword he baked into it and stabbing him to death.
BLKk TIL You can count to 12 on one hand by using your thumb to count the bones of each finger. This might explain the base 12 and base 60 number systems we use for telling time and measuring angles.