› added 8 years ago

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TIL Mountain Dew was originally invented as a mixer for whiskey

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OoyGL TIL many sushi restaurants that serve "white tuna" are actually serving a different fish called escolar. Escolar consumption can lead to uncontrollable diarrhea due to the fish's toxicity, and is therefore banned in several Asian countries.
jo7a TIL in 1942, 25 US marines landed on Japanese territory to survey an airfield. After being surrounded by the Japanese, they held a defensive perimeter for 9 hours before being overrun. Eventually, the only surviving marine swam through 4 miles of shark-infested waters to return to Allied lines.
dDNV7 TIL about Ship Money, a tax on coastal areas of England to promote ship building in times of war. King Charles I tried to levy it in peacetime and to extend it to the inland counties of England without parliamentary approval. It provoked fierce resistance and helped to trigger the English Civil War.
QbJL TIL that in 1372, the architect Yi Kaizhan was hired to build a fort along the Great Wall of China, and he ordered the exact number of bricks he needed. When his judgement was questioned, he ordered one more brick. The extra brick was never used.
v7bR TIL that the Tata Group from India which owns Jaguar-Land Rover and has revenues of over $100b is 66% controlled by charitable trusts, which invest these proceeds in nation-building such as India’s hospitals, educational institutions and promoting health, education, culture etc.