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TIL that in March 2012, a U.S. soldier (SPC Dennis Weichel) saved an Afghani boy by jumping in front of a moving truck to push the boy out of the way. He was struck by the truck instead and died of his injuries.

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VB1ep TIL that the word 'quarantine' originates from the Venetian word 'quarantena,' which means '40 days.' In the 14th century, ships arriving in Venice from plague-infected ports were required to sit at anchor for 40 days before landing to prevent the spread of the disease.
PYElE TIL that a Louisiana senator proposed the “American Hippo Bill” which would have brought Hippos from Africa to get rid of a invasive species and solve a meat shortage in the United States. The bill nearly passed.
X7JQ TIL an undercover Israeli agent armed only with a .22 stopped a group of terrorist attacking an aircraft with grenades and AK47, After securing the event he was arrested and put to trial in Switzerland
0OQL TIL Tom Hanks was asked how he wanted Michael Conner Humphreys (Young Forrest) to speak so that there was continuity from young Forrest to grown up Forrest. Instead, Tom decided to imitate Humphreys’ thick Mississippi accent, and thus the iconic Gump accent was born.
N7r5e TIL: Blowing into a Nintendo game cartridge does not fix a game that won’t load by removing dust. The blowing is a placebo. It is the act of removing and reinserting the cartridge into the system that increases the chance of a good connection. Moisture in your breath may even damage your games.