› added 3 years ago

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TIL that on the first day the Suez Canal opened, Nov 17, 1869, a French ship named the Péluse ran aground and blocked the canal, forcing ships stuck in the canal to wait until the next morning when the Péluse was hauled away.

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M7LWB TIL that all Medal of Honour recipients receive a special license plate (state dependant) to display on their vehicle.
B4Ey TIL that the oldest person ever to live made a deal with a 47 year old lawyer at age 90; he would pay her 2500 francs per month in return for her apartment when she died. He paid more than double the apartment’s worth, and ended up dying two years before her.
mxQxo TIL that 9/11 is the anniversary of the 1973 coup d'état in Chile led by General Pinochet, who executed thousands and interned and tortured tens of thousands for 17 years. While the U.S. may not have directly backed the coup, it appeared to condone it and worked with Pinochet afterwards.
4mkw TIL That Sean parker, founder of illegal music filesharing site Napster, is now the person at Spotify who helps form deal with major record companies. He orchestrated deals with Universal, Warner and others.
0GRv TIL that the official name for the colour of the universe is “cosmic latté” & it is a beige colour. other suggestions were skyvory, big bang beige & primordial clam chowder.