› added 11 months ago

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TIL, the 1915 graduating class at West Point is called "the class the stars fell on" because 59 of 164 graduates attained the rank of general.

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RDWj TIL - US Air Force honours their fallen with a fly-by salute, called “The Missing Man” in which the formation flies very low and the leader’s wingman pulls up rapidly, which represents departure to heaven. This is an aerial equivalent of riderless horse.
Wklmd TIL about South African Fritz Joubert Duquesne: Anglo Boer war soldier, spy for Germany in WW 1 and 2, adviser on big game hunting to U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt, US citizen, British soldier, journalist, fake Australian war hero and head of the New Food Society in New York, and it goes on.
E1Ppo TIL of the speed camera lottery in Stockholm, Sweden. Drive at or under the speed limit and you'll be entered into a lottery where the prize fund comes from the fines that speeders pay. Average speed reduced from 32km/h to 25km/h (a reduction of 22%)
b9JmZ TIL the deep meaning behind the 52 Cards in a complete deck. The 4 suits represent the 4 seasons, while the 52 cards represent the 52 weeks in a year. The 13 cards per suit represent the 13 lunar cycles in a year, and even the 365 days of the year are marked by the number of total points in a deck.
oPyE TIL the tool that is clapped together by film makers before filming a scene is called a “clapboard” and is used to synchronize the audio with the video later in production by matching the clapping sound with the movement of the clapboards arm.