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TIL Lincoln repeatedly warned that British recognition of the Confederacy was tantamount to a declaration of war. Knowing a war would cut off vital shipments of American food, wreak havoc on the British merchant fleet, and cause the immediate loss of Canada, Britain was unwilling to risk a conflict

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QJpAa TIL leading up to Pearl Harbor the US lost track of Japanese aircraft carriers, observed the Japanese consulate burning documents, encountered hostile submarines near Hawaii and had reports of a cluster of aircraft 137 miles north of Oahu, yet only realized an attack was under way when bombs dropped
epBo6 TIL retinol was predominantly tested on black prisoners, before being marketed to consumers
nW8Q9 TIL that in California, if you order a cold sandwich and declare it "to go", it's not taxed. If you say it's "For here" you get taxed.
yQveX TIL that Chicago PD operated an off-the-books interrogation warehouse until 2015, wherein >99% of cases lawyers were shut out and detainees were denied access to phones. The precinct refuses to release reports between 1995-2004, as dealing with the physical copies would be "too burdensome"
nWrYW Till in 1936 a group of Imperial Japanese Army officers attempted to coup d'état Japan