› added 3 months ago

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TIL about the Duquesne spy ring, the largest espionage case in US history that ended in convictions, where 33 members of a nazi german espionage network were sentenced to a total of over 300 years in prison. They were lead by a man who had advised Theodore Roosevelt on big-game hunting.

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pj4Z TIL that in the 1800’s linen condoms were discontinued in favour of more comfortable condoms made from animal intestines
pYN0Z TIL that Scottish banknotes are issued by 3 retail banks and they are not legal tender anywhere in the UK. Scottish bank notes are not legal tender even in Scotland, where, in law, no banknotes, even those issued by the Bank of England, are defined as legal tender.
y45V TIL Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side, All About Steve) is the only woman to receive an Oscar and a Razzie (for Worst Actress) in the same year. Being a good sport, she collected her Razzie in person and won her Oscar the following night.
0wK0p TIL that Mahatma Ghandi wrote two letters to Hitler, in which he asked him to stop the war cause it would have caused many victims. Neither of the letters he wrote were allowed to be sent by the colonial government.
neveY TIL the Hitchcock film North By Northwest (1959) is regarded by some to be "the first James Bond film", due to its similarities with splashily colorful settings, secret agents, a femme fatale, and an elegant, wisecracking leading man opposite a sinister yet strangely charming villain