› added 10 years ago

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TIL that in 986, Vladimir the Great, audited the major religions before choosing one to unify Russia. Apparently he decided against adopting the Muslim faith because “Drinking is the joy of the Rus’, we can’t go without it”.

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VMep TIL George Koval: Soviet master spy that infiltrated the Manhattan project, stole nearly all of our nuclear secrets, single-handedly provided the key technology for Russia’s nuclear arsenal, and was only discovered as a spy in 2002.
b60Z7 TIL U-570 was a WW2 German U-boat that achieved the unusual distinction of surrendering to an aircraft when a British Hudson Bomber struck her with depth charges in 1941. She was then commissioned into the Royal Navy as the HMS Graph until being decommissioned and wrecked off Scotland in 1944.
Ypw6x TIL the color orange is named after the fruit of the same name. Not the other way around.
9XVm TIL The US Department of Defense paid $53 million to pro sports for military tributes between 2012 and 2015.
gM1W8 TIL Julie Andrews lost the ability to sing due to a botched vocal surgery in 1997