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TIL The Paraguayan Fortress of Humaitá was known as the Gibraltar of South America. The security of the fortress likely caused overconfidence in President Francisco Solano López, who launched the Paraguayan War, which he lost, 150,000 Paraguayans died, and Humaitá was razed by the Triple Alliance.

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b9RV4 TIL of Grigori Perelman, a Russian mathematician who proved the Poincaré conjecture (one of the Millennium Prize problems). He later quit his job, turned down the $1 million prize as well as the Fields Medal, and is thought to have withdrawn from the field of mathematics entirely.
PlXJ TIL that January 16th is national do nothing day in the US
QNdnM TIL of The Colossus of Prora, a 2.8 mi / 4.5 km long building complex on the island of Rügen, built by Nazi Germany between 1936 and 1939
KokR TIL Keanu Reeves donated $80 million of his $114 million earnings of the Matrix sequels to the special effects and makeup staff, stating “Money is the last thing I think about.”
GYy05 TIL The reason why we view neanderthals as hunched over and degenerate is that the first skeleton to be found was arthritic.