› added 1 week ago

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TIL that the Holy See isn't just a name for Vatican City, it is also the name for the government of the Vatican. The Holy See is sovereign on its own, giving the illusion that the Holy See and Vatican City are two separate countries.

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via reddit.com

R5w4w TIL that the first recorded person to fly was Yuan Huangtou, a Chinese former prince who was forced to participate in an experiment in 559 CE with other prisoners in which he was strapped to a kite and flown off a 33 meter tall tower. He was the only survivor and flew 2.5 km.
Ypo8B TIL Subutai won 65 battles as general of the Mongol Empire including defeating a Russian army of 80K with only 20K soldiers. His tactics were studied by Mikhail Ivanin in the 19th century & incorporated into Russian military academies & the Red Army.
bJe9 TIL 15 billionaires and multimillionaires, including George Lucas and Jackie Chan, plan to give their fortunes to charity instead of their children.
rRXvy TIL that during WWII, the Germans and the British independently discovered that they could use thin aluminum strips dropped from planes to jam enemy radar, but both sides refused to use this for over a year for fear the other would figure out the technique
ExLP TIL John McCain was subjected to months of torture. Then after losing 50 Lbs and recieving little medical treatment, he was locked in solitary for 2 years. When he was done he was offered release, but refused unless all of his fellow POW’s were also released.