› added 6 years ago

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TIL of the White Rose which was a non-violent Nazi resistance group made of college students and a professor. It started by releasing pamphlets against the Nazi Party and ended with the execution of 6 students and the professor.

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W7RNL TIL about Cargo Cult, example being the Melanesian islanders during WWII in pacific theater. Once American and Japanese presence withdrawn in attempts to get cargo to fall by parachute or land in planes or ships again, islanders imitated the same practices they had seen the military personnel!
rR8Dy TIL that Benkos Bioho, an African king that was captured and taken to South America, helped create a way to use braids to convey maps and messages. This stopped his captors from finding out his and his peers' plans. Some braids represented escape and certain roads while others held gold and seeds.
0YX5 TIL American Home Ownership is the Lowest Since 1967.
XEVB8 TIL about NASA's Project Echo "sateloon" from the 1960's where they launched 100 foot in diameter inflatable reflective orbs into space to use as passive comsat relays.
Bb0k TIL “Blowing smoke up your ass” came from an first aid procedure where tobacco smoke was pushed into a drowning victim in order to warm the victim from the inside-out.