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TIL that one of the most effective weapons in WW2 was the proximity fuzed shell: the allies were so terrified of the enemy getting hold of samples they were initially only to be used over water by the Navy - there was an embargo on their use over land until 1944.

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7816X TIL In 1945 the only successful international sub to sub rescue mission was carried out by the USS Cod; who evacuated the crew of the Dutch sub O-19, who were stranded on a reef. To commemorate this a symbol was added to Cod's battle flag: the name O-19 under a martini glass.
pYG6e TIL the Hawaiian flag has a Union Jack on it because when King Kamehameha received one as a gift from British traders, he liked it so much that he just stole the design to use as his own.
1aPkd TIL: Archaeologist Alexander Peev was executed by firing squad in 1943 on suspicion of sending a coded message to the Soviet Union. It was actually an ancient inscription he wanted Russian archaeologists to help him interpret. The text remains undeciphered.
kOKE5 TIL Color blindness isn’t common in females because there’s a low likelihood that a female will inherit both genes required for the condition. However, only one gene is needed for red-green color blindness in males. Globally, 1 in 12 males and 1 in 200 females are colorblind.
VBkOZ TIL Gulf War Syndrome is not related to PTSD, but most likely due to sarin gas exposure