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TIL that "Mountain Dew" was originally slang for mountain-brewed moonshine. And the soda was originally sold as a whiskey chaser.

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LkdWQ TIL about "naumachia", the Ancient Roman practice of filling a specialised coliseum/amphitheatre basin full of water and forcing convicts and PoWs to fight to the death in staged naval battles, complete with fully armed warships, for the Caesar's entertainment
oB0W8 TIL about Edith Sampson, who in 1950 became the first African-American to represent the U.S. at the United Nations. She later became the first Black U.S. representative to NATO and became the first Black woman to be elected judge in the state of Illinois.
v1WvD TIL: Disney spent 50 million dollars on a movie called 'The Shadow King' from the director of The Nightmare Before Christmas, upon seeing the footage Disney said it was too scary to make any money and immediately shut down production.
ZpG5a TIL of Bonin English, an English-based creole of the Bonin Islandssouth of Japan with strong Japanese influence, to the extent that it has been called a mixture of English and Japanese.
OG0EL TIL Duplex stainless steel can undergo 475°C embrittlement that causes a loss of plasticity when it is heated between 250°C and 550°C.