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TIL George S. Patton held a speech, so popular that it became known as “The Speech” where he justified his “chicken-shit drilling” by claiming “A man must be alert at all times. If not some German son-of-a-bitch will sneak up behind him and beat him to death with a sock full of shit.”

9LLp TIL The eBay secondary market for Nike shoes is conservatively estimated at $230 million which would represent 8.5% of Nike earnings for 2014. Nike is happy this market exists and isn’t trying to stop it because the sneakerheads that drive it spread the Nike gospel better than they can.
mbxR TIL in 1919, a British officer ordered his troops to fire at a nonviolent gathering of people celebrating a religious festival in India, leading to 1000 deaths and 1500 injuries.
6EgAJ TIL The first time the Japanese public heard their emperor's voice was during the formal surrender of Japan in WW2.
woN97 TIL the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) company's main competitor was Vanderbilt's New York Central Railroad which controlled the only rail access into Manhattan. In 1899 Alexander Cassatt came out of a 17 year retirement to head PRR and visited Paris where he was saw the first electric terminal.
R5DMw TIL when polish pianst Arthur Rubinstein was asked to perform at the opening ceremony of the United Nations after world war 2, he noticed there was no polish delegation or polish flag in the hall. He then changed his program and opened with the polish national anthem.