› added 12 years ago

132

TIL the way Dr. Seuss pronounced his name was that it rhymed with “voice”

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woOJ7 TIL: In 1947, after the Italian bomber corps was disbanded post-WWII, some planes of ambiguous purpose were transferred, pending status clarity, to the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, the sovereign successors of the Knights Hospitaller of Crusader fame. The planes were later returned to Italy.
PYMJE TIL that, after the Siege of Leningrad, there were so many rats that four wagons of cats were brought in to fight them. Citizens erected statues to those cats many years later.
oBYWR TIL that in 1937, Joachim von Ribbentrop almost knocked over King George VI of England when he greeted him with a "stiff-armed" Nazi salute. At the time, Ribbentrop was the German ambassador to England.
LQlAv TIL that in 1980, the city of Philadelphia became the only North American city in which all four major sports teams played for their respective championships in one year (NBA/NHL/MLB/NFL). Although the Phillies were the only team to win the championship that year.
pYaXZ TIL "Methinks the lady doth protest too much" is meant opposite to how it is used. It's not meant to doubt someone denying something, but rather someone proclaiming something. "Protest" (pruh-test) is a different word than (pro-test) that means to profess in favor. This is the origin of "Protestant"