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TIL that in the 1940s and 1950s, hundreds of thousands of members of the US armed forces were exposed to ionizing radiation from nuclear testing during active duty. These "atomic veterans" were sworn to secrecy, and many received no treatment or compensation for the illnesses they later developed.

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kJxxe TIL that mobster Roy DeMeo was considered so dangerous that when the Gambino crime family put a contract out on him, they struggled to get someone to take it up. Even John Gotti was reluctant, as he had killed fewer than 10 people, while DeMeo was responsible for at least 37 murders.
Y7G8d TIL of the Three Hundred and Thirty Five Years' War - a bloodless war between the Netherlands and the Isles of Scilly that lasted from 1651 until peace was officially declared in 1986
rRQDe TIL Jackie Chan turned down to play the main antagonist "Koji Sato" for the 1989 film Black Rain because he feared audiences would hate to see him play as the bad guy. Harrison Ford and Kurt Russell were highly considered for the main protagonist "Nick Conklin" before Michael Douglas was cast.
VMWEm TIL that Sparta's reputation as a military machine is largely myth, that they lived an ordinary Greek lifestyle, and they should really be known for responsible and stable government.
oRx97 TIL about Kowloon, the Walled City, which was the densest populated area worldwide until it's demolition in 1993. It was entirely built unplanned.