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TIL that from 1864 to 1870 three countries (Uruguay, Argentina and Brazil) declared war to Paraguay (whos motto is “Victory or Death”). Roughly two-thirds of Paraguay population were killed, including around 90% of its men. That war was called “War of the Triple Alliance”

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77jb TIL that Agatha Christie, G. K. Chesterton, and other British mystery writers formed the Detection Club. Members swore an oath to not use “Divine Revelation, Feminine Intuition, Mumbo Jumbo, Jiggery-Pokery, Coincidence, or Act of God” in stories. Founded in 1930, the club still exists.
9DvM TIL In France, where tennis first became popular, a big, round zero on the scoreboard looked like an egg and was called l’oeuf, which is French for “egg.” When tennis was introduced in the US, Americans pronounced it “love.”
LQEpv TIL that Al Pacino was coached by boxer Roberto Duran, in helping him portray the character Tony Montana for Scarface.
D195e TIL A French Embassy worker engaged in a nearly 2 decades-long relationship with a Chinese individual he thought was a female, committing espionage to secure her and their supposed child's freedom from China. The true sex--male--of the French men's lover was not revealed until their arrest.
5YPgB TIL in 2016, Apple released software that would self-destruct iPhones if a repair was made on it by a third party, forcing customers to buy a new one. These practices were found illegal in countries with consumer laws such as Australia, forcing Apple to stop.