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TIL that after Genghis Khan defeated rival tribes he would place the conquered tribe under his protection, integrate its members into his own tribe, and even have his mother adopt orphans from the conquered tribe, bringing them into his family.

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9gQp TIL of Helga Estby, who walked across America in 1896 to win $10,000 to save her family’s farm. When she arrived in NYC, the sponsor refused to pay out. She returned to her home to find that two of her children had died during her trip. She then lost the home.
NXdnE TIL that the infamous Filipino dictator Ferdinand Marcos changed the borders of Kalinga-Apayao province to make its outline resemble the silhouette of his own head, facing towards his own native province of Ilocos Norte, until he was ousted in 1986 and the separation of the province in 1995.
vPjxL TIL Keanu Reeves was originally offered the role of Chris in Michael Mann’s 1995 movie Heat. He turned it down to play Hamlet in theatre, Val Kilmer was given the role instead
JYKGB TIL that the alphabet (the Latin alphabet) derived from the Etruscan alphabet, which came from the Greek alphabet, which came from the Phoenician alphabet, which came from another early alphabet, which was based on Egyptian hieroglyphics
wrM8 TIL due to having no tools, an Inuit man once shat in his hand, shaped it into a knife as it froze, then used it to kill and skin a dog and make a sled out of its bones. He then strapped another dog to the sled so he could travel through a blizzard.