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TIL about the 1905 Battle of Tsushima between Japanese and Russian steel battleships. The Japanese sunk 21 Russian warships and captured another 5, including the flagship. Only three Russian ships made it back to a Russian port

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v1bJK TIL Snow isn’t actually white, but rather translucent. It’s the light reflecting off it that makes it appear white with the many sides of the snowflake scattering light in many directions, diffusing the entire colour spectrum. Snow can also appear in a wide variety of spectacular hues.
WQVY TIL that during WW2, Italy delivered an ultimatum to Greece demanding they accept occupation. The Greeks replied with “Then it is war”. In the ensuing fight, the outgunned Greeks put Italy on the defensive, forcing Germany to intervene, diverting resources from the upcoming invasion of the USSR.
vp84 TIL that 19th century gentlemen looking for “casual encounters” with ladies they’ve never met before would present them with funny calling cards to discreetly ask them to “accompany them home”.
kJpP5 TIL Operation Fantasia. Because a fox-shaped spirit is an omen of doom in Japanese folklore, the U.S. developed a psychological warfare campaign during WWII that included a plan to release foxes sprayed with glow-in-the-dark paint in Japan. It was never executed.
R7DZ9 TIL when the United States asked to buy the lease for their London embassy, the Duke of Westminster agreed to sell it on the condition that the United States return to his family the state of Virginia, which had been confiscated from them during the War of Independence. The United States declined.