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TIL Between 1897 and 1903, the German Empire developed a plan for an invasion of the United States.

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oBmQL TIL in medieval France there was a Christian feast day honoring Mary, Joseph, and Jesus' escape to Egypt. The day was called the Feast of the Ass, and included a woman and child riding on a donkey. It was celebrated on January 14.
4knn5 TIL of William Walker, an American physician, lawyer, journalist, mercenary, slavery supporter, and Southern folk hero from from Tennessee. Walker seized control of Nicaragua from 1856 to 1857, and convinced many U.S. Southerners of the desirability of creating a Confederate empire in Latin America.
4GLJ TIL of Guenter Verheugen, the guy who got mobile phone manufacturers to adopt MicroUSB as the universal standard for charging/connectivity.
R7eb4 Today I learned about WRLDVW which is a new marketplace where you can buy and sell a limited supply of virtual goods associated with your name or location. For each name and location there are three virtual goods available for sale globally.
rRGEd TIL that the Dutch East India Company was the first company to ever go public on a stock exchange, raising enough capital to become a multinational conglomerate with over 70,000 employees. At it's peak, the company was worth 78 million Dutch guilders - equivalent to $7.4 trillion today.