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TIL more than 5,000 babies across the United States were abducted by a supposedly charitable organization between 1924 and 1950. The group targeted poor Southern families and developed a black market for white babies.

R5ZRl TIL Among other ships used in the production of the film “The Battle of the River Plate”, the warships HMS Cumberland and HMNZS Achilles played themselves since they had both survived the war.
7rlex TIL about Klepetan, a male stork who migrates from South Africa to Croatia every year for the last 15 years to be with Melena, a female stork who can't fly after being shot by a hunter. She lives indoors until his return and they stay in a nest on a roof until he leaves. They've had over 40 babies.
9w0jD TIL Mario debuted as the nameless player character in Donkey Kong (1981) before Mario Bros. (1983), called as "Jumpman", " Rescueman" or "Mr.Video". His name, "Mario," was introduced in Donkey Kong Jr. (1982). He was once called "Mario Mario" to align with the title Mario Bros in a 1993 movie.
kOJMd TIL during the exceptionally cold winter of 1795, a French Hussar regiment captured the Dutch fleet on the frozen Zuiderzee, a bay to the northwest of the Netherlands. The French seized 14 warships and 850 guns. This is one of the only times in recorded history where calvary has captured a fleet.
ne9NY TIL that in 1452 a Hungarian engineer, known as Orban, offered to sell an extremely powerful cannon to the Roman Emperor. He refused, so Orban instead sold the cannon to the Ottoman emperor, who used it to breach the walls of Constantinople in 1453, which brought the end to the Roman Empire