› added 2 years ago

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TIL about onna-musha, japanese female noble warriors. Dozens of famous ones are known by name, many of which led their own units or even armies. Battlefield excavations have shown that in some battles in the 16th century as many as 30% of the combattants were likely women.

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5DMr TIL African American soldiers in World War I served under the French military because white American soldiers refused to perform with them. Many African Americans moved to France after the war because they were treated better in that country.
ObVa TIL it was recommended for chemists to smoke while making cyanide, because cyanide leaks from the fume hood or apparatus would impart a characteristic flavor to the smoke.
LkB0m TIL that according to DuPont, the name "Nylon" was originally called "No-Run," but was modified to "Nuron" to avoid making an unjustified claim. Later it was changed to "Nilon" to make it sound less like medicine, and then eventually "Nylon" so that people would pronounce it properly.
5YnBp TIL that many WW1 soldiers on the Western front spontaneously declared truces for Christmas 1914. On both sides, they left their trenches to bury their dead, hold church services, and trade cigars and other small goods in no man’s land.
69YRZ TIL at the beginning of WWII some 2,500 generals served in the German armed forces. Many would wear their brightly colored and highly identifiable uniforms and vehicle insignia. This increased “personal battlefield lethality” and was a significant factor in debilitating the German war machine.