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75

TIL in 1600 a volcano eruption in Peru killed approximately 2 million… in Russia

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4d1b TIL that an invention called the Radiovota would have essentially allowed 1930’s radio listeners to up-/downvote broadcasts.
QYwa TIL At the time of the Battle of Britain (1940) several nations had functioning radar systems (inc. Germany) but it was the British ‘Dowding system’ that allowed positions of enemy planes to be relayed to fighters in the air, resulting in interception rates of >90% and turning the tide of the war.
1a5E8 TIL that India is home to Malabar giant squirrels- three-foot-long, multi-colored squirrels that range from black, brown and orange to maroon and purple.
7KxM TIL A chess grandmaster threw the final round of a tournament in protest of having repeatedly been made to play women. She turned down the chance to defend her women’s world title to play mixed matches and randomly drew 7 women out of 10 rounds. The 5 move loss is the quickest ever by a grandmaster.
XEbnQ TIL that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi earns EGP 500,000 (currently equal to $31,500) annually, slightly less than the maximum wage for public sector employees - and he donates half of his salary to a public fund for economic and development projects