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TIL that in 1862 a letter was found wrapped around an unlit cigar laying in the grass. The secret dispatch #191 gave away Robert E. Lee's troop movements and helped lead to a narrow Northern victory in the battle of Antietam.

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AVKw TIL that in North Korea, since every political candidate is chosen by the ruling party, there is only one name on a ballot. A voter may cross off the candidate’s name to vote against him, but must do so with a red pen next to the ballot box in sight of electoral officials.
6J5l TIL in 1983, a struggling Atari dumped tons of unsold, unsalable inventory into a pit in Alamogordo, New Mexico. This was considered an urban legend until 30 years later, when they were unearthed by an excavation crew. The haul included E.T., Atari catalogs, and Raiders of the Lost Ark promotionals.
M74pb TIL the invasive plant Kudzu spreads 150,000 acres annually in the Southern US. It can even now be seen in New York. Kudzu damages and kills plants by smothering them under a blanket of leaves. It has become one of the greatest environmental concerns for parks today.
Z8M0p TIL avocados must be picked to ripen, can stay on the plant for 7 months as "storage" , and take 13 months to grow a mature avocado.
8eXKP TIL in the Battle of Arausio, the Roman army was defeated to the Cimbri and Tuetons, and lost about 120,000 soldiers, but the two consuls who led the army survived.