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TIL that at a 1976 Amsterdam chess tournament, Soviet grandmaster Viktor Korchnoi politely asked an English competitor how to spell the words "political asylum." He then went straight to a police station and announced that he wished to defect.

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D1MRJ Til - from 1741 - 1751 Maratha empire attacked Bengal Subah six times resulted close to 400,000 people in Bengal and Bihar killed where most attack was plundering villages which considered to be among the deadliest massacres in Indian history.
Z8a4R TIL: There is a fully intact Roman wine bottle sitting in Germany from the year 350 AD. It's fully drinkable but the Romans added a significant amount of thick olive oil as a preservative.
1aK1V TIL the Guillotine remained the official capital punishment of France until 1981, the last beheading occuring in 1977
R7Z01 TIL in fourth and fifth century BC Athens, a possible punishment for adultery was Rhaphanidosis: sodomy with a large black radish.
Z8O7o TIL: Kellogg's created Pop-Tarts after hearing about Post trying to create their own toaster pastries. Post unveiled their Country Squares to the press well before they were even ready to sell. Kellogg's released Pop-Tarts within 6 months of Post's announcement.