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TIL that in 1869, Republican President Ulysses S. Grant tried to annex the Dominican Republic to use it as a safe haven for blacks fleeing persecution. Although the D.R. agreed to the annexation treaty, it ultimately failed to pass the Senate.

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Y7aXA TIL JP Morgan bailed out banks in 1907 but a severe recession occured anyway. Nelson Aldrich, a powerful senator with close ties to Morgan, led a mission to Europe in 1908 to study the workings of the central banks in England, France and Germany. The Federal Reserve was created a short time later
Bwwk TIL In under 20 years the Aral Sea has shrunk to ten percent of its original size and is so salty that barely any life form remains. The Russians were taught to believe that the sea was an “error of nature” and therefore pointless
M7j08 TIL that in 2008 City officials in Swansea, Wales mistakenly printed an automated "I'm not at the office at the moment. Send any work to be translated" email reply on a road sign instead of the actual traffic safety message they wanted translated from English to Welsh.
16Mr4 TIL in the 1950s, future stuntman Evel Knievel drove earth movers in a Montana copper mine. He was fired for making the vehicle do a wheelie and accidentally crashing it into a power line, cutting power to the city.
9wLQM TIL Switzerland forced Liechtenstein in 1949 to cede the strategically important Ellhorn by threatening to end the customs union. In return, some of Liechtenstein's war debts were cancelled and a land swap took place.