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TIL that in 86 AD, the Colosseum was filled with water to stage a full naval battle

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x61W0 TIL King James the First liked to play tennis. He knocked so many balls off the court and down an old drain leading from the abbey that he ordered for the passage to be blocked. 3 days later, assassins arrived to kill him. He tried to escape through the passage but it was blocked and he was murdered
dPM9 TIL Due to the limitations of arcade hardware in 1981, Mario was clothed in red overalls and blue shirt to contrast his arms, body, and background. The cap was added to avoid drawing his hairstyle, forehead, and eyebrows. The large nose and mustache avoided the need to draw a mouth and expressions
b9Wl9 TIL after capturing Alexandria, Diocletian ordered his soldiers to kill until the blood reached his horse's knees. As if on cue, the horse fell, staining its knees in blood. He took the gods' hint, and stopped the massacre. After he left, the Alexandrians erected built a statue in the horse's honor.
NXV6P TIL a sultan of Morocco, Isma‘il ibn Sharif, owned a private army called "The Black Guard" comprised of West African and Haratin slave-soldiers. Considered more loyal than the locals because of their lack of tribal affiliation, Isma‘il's black soldiers formed the bulk of his army, numbering at 150k.
AN0lx TIL of French Neo-Socialist, Marcel Déat. In May of 1939 he wrote 'Why Die for Danzig' (Mourir pour Dantzig?) urging France to appease Hitler by surrendering to his ultimatum for Danzig. Déat would later act as a collaborator with Vichy France.