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TIL about Senet, an ancient Egyptian board game over 4,500 years old—among the oldest known. Played for over 2,000 years, it symbolized the soul's journey through the afterlife. Though its original rules are lost, historians have reconstructed the game using surviving evidence.

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JYe8l TIL the first elephant in America was Old Bet, arriving in 1796. Capt Jacob Crowninshield bought it in Calcutta for $450 and sold it in New York for $10K. Old Bet was exhibited for years then sold to Hackaliah Bailey's circus. In 1816, Old Bet was shot in the eye and killed by a spectator.
b9lx9 TIL that on D Day the crew of the Battleship USS Texas intentionally flooded a torpedo tube in order to cause a 2 degree list, giving their main guns just enough extra elevation to boost their range & hit the target on the mainland.
1awL7 TIL Stagehands mistakenly installed a malfunctioning piano for an hour-long solo Jazz performance. The musician, Keith Jarrett, had to improvise around the instrument’s limitations. A recording of this concert went on to become the best selling piano album of all time.
Nog1 TIL that the City of London Police are the reigning Olympic tug of war champions.
E1w1p TIL "It's a Small World" song, which is frequently played at its headline attraction at Disney theme parks, is the only Disney song not copyrighted due to the request by UNICEF. The song was played at the 1964 NYC World's Fair as a salute to UNICEF and is seen as a gift to children around the world.