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TIL of the Byzantine emperor Andronikos I Komnenos, ruling between 1081 and 1118. Due to his frequest mutilation and blinding of enemies he was given the epithet "Misophaes" - Hater of Sunlight

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PYl0n TIL of the concept of Yūgen (幽玄) an important concept in traditional Japanese aesthetics that doesn't have an English equivalent. It is said to mean "a profound, mysterious sense of the beauty of the universe ... and the sad beauty of human suffering".
a876Z TIL that William Howard Russell, an Irish reporter for The Times, is considered to be the first modern war correspondent, and his coverage of the Crimean War was the first time that the British public could read about the realities of warfare
vPa4 TIL: Lauri Törni was an officer who during WW2 served both the Finnish Army and the Waffen SS of Nazi Germany, both decorated him highly. After the war, he immigrated to the US and became a highly decorated Green Beret, served as inspiration for John Wayne’s Green Beret and then died in Vietnam.
jN60a TIL Thomas Edison would give potential employees a bowl of soup during the interview, if they salted or peppered the soup before tasting it they wouldn't get the job. This was to test whether the employees had analytical minds and didn't make assumptions.
9Y47r TIL the largest electric vehicle on Earth, a monster dump truck, never has to recharge because it moves uphill empty but downhill full, and regenerative braking with a full load provides enough electricity for it to go uphill again.