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899

TIL That on June 15th, 1944, the Captain of the USS Texas (BB-35) intentionally flooded the lower decks of the ship so that he could further extend the range of the ship's guns while firing onto the fortified German-held positions of Isigny and Carentan.

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jNMRM TIL that John F. Kennedy, 2 months before his presidency, was almost assassinated by someone driving a dynamite-lading car into his. This was prevented because the assassin saw his wife and kids bid goodbye to Kennedy, thus changing his mind.
WLL4 TIL that, prior to the American Civil War, most citizens of the United States referred to their country in plural (“The United States are wealthy”, “The United States have a large population”)
e0Bb4 TIL Claud Hatcher bought a large amount of Coca-Cola syrup from a salesman and thought he deserved a reduced rate for the amount. When refused, Hatcher vowed to never purchase Coca-Cola again and was determined to develop his own soft drink. He kept his vow and today we have Royal Crown (RC) Cola.
VBBZQ TIL that financial institutions rent a room inside the New York Stock Exchange to place trading computers. If these computers are located even a few meters away from this room, they lose milliseconds of advantage on tradings.
e0kbn TIL these hardcore Javanese bird's nest gatherers have to risk their lives descending a cliff face hanging from ropes, waiting on an overhang 10 m above sea level for a wave sweeping them into a cave where they gather the nests in total darkness. Bad timing can result in loss of their lives.