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TIL the greatest peacetime maritime disaster is the sinking of MV Doña Paz in 1987 with 4386 dead, almost 3 times Titanic's casualties (1496). The greatest wartime disaster is Wilhelm Gustloff in 1945 (9343 dead).

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Z8ybD TIL that in 1862 President Lincoln had to politely decline an offer from the king of Siam to send the United States a herd of elephants for use in the Civil War against the Confederacy.
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XEBlR TIL That every 13 -17 years, billions of Cicadas emerge from the ground to mate. Once the Cicadas have transformed and predators leave the swarms alone, the males lay eggs. After a few days, they all die and disappear for another 13 - 17 years.
nKmd TIL: Nairobi, Kenya has a thriving country music scene because Kenyans “can identify with the stories in the songs.” Country Music CDs make up 15% of all music sold.
n85B TIL that in 1952 Albert Einstein was offered the Presidency of the State of Israel. He declined, saying that as a scientist trained to deal with objective facts, he lacked the aptitude and experience to deal with people.