› added 1 month ago

5

TIL that the French Republic Anthem “La Marseillaise” was written by a Royalist Officer.

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via reddit.com

4ypb TIL that the Joint Chiefs of Staff planned a series of terrorist attacks on US cities, and wanted to blame Cuba, so they could invade it (more links in the comments).
xVK4g TIL about the 'thousand-yard stare', which is a phrase often used to describe the blank, unfocused gaze of soldiers who have become emotionally detached from the horrors around them. It is also sometimes used more generally to describe the look of dissociation among victims of other types of trauma.
b9xdE TIL that in Australia, "seppo" is often used as a derogatory term for an American.
lN5a TIL Robert Downey Jr. was nominated for an Oscar for his performance as an actor playing a black actor in Tropic Thunder
bErE TIL of British woman Joyce Carol Vincent, who died alone in her bedsit in 2003 but wasn’t discovered until 2006. She was found with the television still on and surrounded with wrapped Christmas presents.