› added 10 months ago

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TIL that during the Vietnam War, the Battle of Hamburger Hill was named by American soldiers who felt the intense, grinding combat was like being “chewed up like hamburger meat.” Fought over Hill 937 in the A Shau Valley, the battle resulted in high casualties after ten days of fierce fighting.

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oYbW TIL Helena Bonham Carter’s maternal grandfather saved thousands of Jews from the Holocaust during World War II
N7P5N TIL in the early years of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the helium balloons were released into the air instead of being deflated. A return address was stitched into the balloon and a $100 reward was offered if they were returned. One landed on a house and one nearly caused a plane crash.
JNn4 TIL that as a child Muhammad Ali was refused an autograph from his boxing idol Sugar Ray Robinson. When Ali became a prized fighter he vowed to never deny an autograph request, which he honored through his entire career. He even had a special P.O. box for anyone who wanted his autograph.
JoDj TIL a man accidently threw away a hard drive holding 7500 bitcoins, which would have been worth $9M at its height, or $4.5M today
5YdZk TIL jazz violinist Joe Venuti, known for practical jokes, once called every double bass player in the New York phonebook, asking them to meet with him on a street corner; over 50 arrived with their instruments, creating a minor roadblock. Venuti later had to pay them all, as mandated by the AFM.