› added 4 years ago

92

TIL John Rockefeller got out of Civil War duty by paying for a substitute.

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LQlVZ TIL: "Jumbo" was a male African bush elephant who was an attraction for PT Barnum. He was hit by a train in St. Thomas, Ontario and died. He was not named Jumbo because of his size; we got the word "jumbo" because of his name.
6EQ6W TIL that Britain incurred so much debt fighting World War II that it didn't make its final loan payment until 2006.
wa51 TIL The selective admissions process at universities was originally designed during the early 20th century to discriminate against Jews
4kEKX TIL during the Cold War the US government stored opium and morphine at Fort Knox and the West Point Mint, to ensure the nation had adequate supplies in case of war or other supply disruptions. The stockpile was enough to meet the painkiller needs of the United States for one year.
MvYW TIL that Duck Hunt works by flashing the screen black when you shoot, except where there are ducks, and a photodiode in the barrel of the gun either picks up the lit area where the ducks are, or it doesn’t, which determines whether your shot hit or missed.