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TIL in 1958, King Saud of Saudi Arabia plotted to assassinate Egyptian President Nasser by shooting down his flight to Cairo. When Nasser made his speech, he waved the cheque used to pay for his assassination to the crowd

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6rNY TIL there are more slaves today than at any time in history. While American slaves in 1809 were sold for around $40,000 (inflation adjusted), a slave nowadays can be bought for just $90, making replacement more economical than providing long term care.
VBQ08 TIL during World War 2, Pittsburgh produced more steel and iron than all Axis powers—combined.
vp1D TIL that, according to a 2007 study by the University of Southern Denmark, the secret to happiness is to have low expectations of life.
68xJ TIL that so many millions of people died so quickly in the influenza epidemic of 1918 that when people laid them out for their funerals in the parlor, the room got the nickname the “Death Room.” The Ladies Home Journal suggested changing the name to “Living Room” instead, to honor the living.
4Xx1X TIL the first Soviet soldiers to raise the USSR flag over the Reichstag were a small team headed by Rakhimzhan Qoshqarbaev, who sneaked into the occupied building and raised it under cover of darkness. It was shot down by German snipers the next day