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TIL that in 1952 US President Harry S Truman refused involvement with the British plan to overthrow the democratically elected PM of Iran, Mohammad Mosaddegh, fearing the precedent of CIA involvement in foreign coups. The coup was carried out a year later after Eisenhower was elected to replace him

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JYkVl TIL of "Sputnikfest" an annual celebration held in the city of Manitowoc, WI where people dress up as aliens and science fiction characters to commemorate a 20lb piece of a Russian satellite crashing down in the city back in 1962
vP1NB TIL about the Carrington Event: in 1859 a massive solar flare spewed electrified gas and subatomic particles toward Earth, wreaking havoc on telegraph networks. Today it would stop our “modern life” for weeks.
nByd TIL that in 1945, 900 Japanese soldiers were forced to retreat through 10 miles of mangrove swamp, during which hundreds were to be eaten by the thousands of saltwater crocodiles lying wait, in what is listed in the Guiness Book of World Records as the “Worst crocodile disaster in the world”.
Z8b9Y TIL: Two doctors invented the chainsaw in 1780 to make the removal of pelvic bone easier and less time-consuming during childbirth
olpK TIL Chinese censorship has banned Big Yellow Rubber Ducks, Leaders doing Gangnam Style, Penis shaped buildings, Pictures of Empty Chairs, and TV shows that feature Time Travel.