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TIL tempura was introduced to the Japanese by Portuguese missionaries in the 16th century observing abstinence rules for Catholics surrounding the quarterly ember days (Quattuor Tempora). Earlier Japanese deep-fried food was either simply fried without breading or batter, or fried with rice flour.

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6EBeZ TIL at Gettysburg a Union regiment sacrificed itself by charging into a Confederate force that outnumbered them 5 to 1. They suffered 82% casualties in 5 minutes, including the commander. However they managed to buy time for Union forces to establish defensive positions that stopped Pickett's charge
A6Wl TIL the word “french” in french fries doesn’t need capitalized, since it means to slice food into thin strips
grxoy TIL: In the film Jurassic Park (1993), the sound of the T. rex roar was a blend of various animal sounds. To create the fearsome roar, sound designer Gary Rydstrom combined the sounds of an elephant, a tiger, an alligator, and a baby crying.
wLGPY TIL due to a folk belief that people born in certain years have bad personalities, the birth rate in Japan dropped by 30% from 1965 to 1966, and recovered completely in 1967.
rRyPx TIL in the early 20th Century women would use their hat pin to physically defend themselves from being harassed in public transport. It worked so well that law makers at the time outlawed it. In Australia, sixty women went to jail rather than pay fines for wearing “murderous weapons” in their hats