› added 4 years ago

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TIL the Battle of Derna in 1805 (the first military engagement of the United States in a different country, and mentioned in the official US Marine's song) was actually fought by 400-500 Arab-Greek Mercenaries and just 8 Marines. The mercenaries were never fully paid after the war.

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eVAD TIL that in New Jersey there are cards issued by “Policemen’s Benefit Associations” that can essentially get friends/family of the police out of minor tickets.
BgREy TIL that long formal movies had to come in two-parts and people back then would have to swap part1 out with part2 to finish watching a movie!
4k8K6 TIL a grown cat can jump between 5-8 times it's height. That would be the equivalent of human ability to jump from the ground up to 3rd or 4th floor!
NXGvJ TIL in 1965-1966 Agostino "Angus" Giuseppe A Barbieri fasted for over a year (382 days) under medical supervision to lose 276 pounds. During that time he only consumed vitamins, electrolytes and yeast as well as zero-calorie drinks. The only exceptions were small amts of milk and sugar with his tea
6ja8 TIL pants originally consisted of two separate items. & You put them on one leg at a time, then tied it around your waist, and then put on the other. Which is why we to this day, we say a “ pair of pants ”