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TIL South Korea put a ban on Japanese cultural imports following WWII and wasn't lifted until 1998. But Nintendo found a way around the ban by partnering with Hyundai and rebranding several of their products including the classic NES, which was sold as 'Hyundai Comboy' in the country.

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EgrPw TIL the Japanese history textbook controversies involve controversial content in government-approved history textbooks used in the secondary education of Japan. The controversies primarily concern the nationalist right efforts to whitewash the actions of the Empire of Japan during World War II.
kykd TIL the Gameboy had a sonar add-on for fishermen, that could locate fish up to 65 feet deep. It also included a fishing mini-game
WoNY TIL that 12 African nations have come together pledging to build a 9 mile wide band of trees that will stretch all the way across Africa, 4750 miles, in order to stop the progressive advancement of the Sahara.
kO9dg TIL the story of Eric Betzig, who conceived the idea for the world's first super-resolution microscope while unemployed after quitting his job at Bell Labs due to being frustrated with the scientific community. He built this microscope in his friend's lounge room, and went on to win the Nobel prize.
kk87 TIL In 2011, people playing Foldit, an online puzzle game about protein folding, resolved the structure of an enzyme that causes an Aids-like disease in monkeys. Researchers had been working on the problem for 13 years. The gamers solved it in three weeks.