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TIL of Gregor MacGregor, a 19th century conman who sold land in a fictional South American country and then sold tickets on a ship to the fictional country. 200 people arrived in the jungle of Nicaragua and most of them died soon after

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epAO4 TIL Carl Linnaeus's fundamental work Systema Naturae listed "Animalia Paradoxa", including fantastic or exotic creatures such as sirens, pelicans, hydras, dragons and antelopes
rRgLw TIL the USS Wake was the only American ship that surrendered in WWII to the Japanese, who then gave it to their puppet Chinese regime. It was then recaptured by the Americans after WWII, given to the Nationalist Chinese, and then captured by Communist China.
GYnr5 TIL Russia has a monument dedicated to lab rats
rNvd TIL That the 2010 eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland were actually good for the environment, as the volcano emitted much less CO2 per day than the planes it grounded.
PYRWZ TIL Bangladesh is the most populous country to not win an Olympic medal with a population of 170 Million. Whereas San Marino is the least populous country to win an Olympic medal with a population of only 34 Thousand.