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TIL The United States Constitution lists issuing letters of marque and reprisal as one of the enumerated powers of Congress. These letters authorize a private person, known as a privateer, to attack and capture vessels of a nation at war with the issuer. Congress can make you a pirate.

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VoW0 TIL that women working in watchmaking factories in the early 1900’s received deadly doses of radiation from licking the paintbrushes they used to paint Glow-in-the-dark details on said watches.
0ww1j TIL that Roman concrete, subject to marine corrosion, has stood for over 2000 years, while modern cement can break down in as few as 50 years. The concrete the Romans used contained volcanic ash and got stronger over time: the ash was slowly replaced with Al-tobermorite, a rare hydrothermal mineral.
XEJNR TIL that the then-owner of Kentucky Fried Chicken unsuccessfully sued Colonel Sanders for libel in the 1970s after he publicly described the chain's gravy as "sludge" that tasted like wallpaper paste. Despite their differences, he remained the public face of KFC until his death in 1980 at age 90.
ANO97 TIL that Saudi Arabia won the World Cup for the mentally disabled 4x in a row
w8lJ TIL: in 1984, a ball of lightning burned a hole into a Soviet passenger airliner mid-flight, then vanished with a bang. It reappeared moments later in the passenger area (floating above their heads), split into two crescent shapes, then finally rejoined and burned a new exit hole to leave the plane.