› added 10 years ago

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TIL out of the 10,000 members of the Communist Party USA in 1957, 1,500 were FBI informants

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JYBLm TIL Abraham Lincoln replied to a critic questioning emancipation by writing: "If I could save the Union without freeing any slave, I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves, I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone, I would also do that"
xVLR1 TIL: That the original "Snake Oil Salesman" wasn't convicted of selling snake oil, he was convicted of selling FAKE snake oil. Oil from Chinese Water Snakes was considered a legit medicine at the time, but Clark Stanley was convicted in 1917 of selling fake snake oil.
VMDyQ TIL of the HMS Cockchafer, a British gunboat involved in the Wanhsien Incident. Chinese soldiers tried to seize British merchant ships as compensation for a boat accidentally sunk by a British ship and the Cockchafer intervened; the Cockchafer killed over 1000 Chinese and destroyed 1000 buildings.
ZpxlR TIL about Anna Ekelöf, she was a serial imposter. Posing as mamsell, noblewoman, officer and crown prince of sweden
g5jy TIL, the FBI once circulated to police departments, people who make frequent reference to the U.S. Constitution or the Bill of Rights may be terrorists