› added 10 years ago

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TIL: that in WW1 the occupied french town of Le Quesnoy, a walled town with a wall dating back to the medieval period was taken by New Zealand Troops without the wall being blown up. Instead a few men with a ladder climbed the wall and opened the gates from the inside preserving the wall.

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yQQQv TIL that Mexican Racing driver Pedro Rodríguez always traveled with a Mexican flag and a record of the national anthem, because when he won the 1967 South African GP the organizers did not have the Mexican anthem, and instead played the Mexican hat dance.
9YBDM TIL about the Great Stink, where after years of untreated human waste and industrial runoff in the River Thames, the smell became unbearable in London during the summer of 1858. The stench finally caused local and national authorities to address the problem—and also ended outbreaks of cholera.
5VAeB TIL a study showed that using 600mg/week of testosterone enanthate, an anabolic steroid, can improve lean muscle mass even in men that don't exercise at all. The men who received testosterone but didn't exercise gained more lean muscle muscle mass than the men who exercised and received a placebo.
0dvep TIL the actors on breaking bad were actually taught how to cook ice
4kBdg TIL in February 1941, James O. Richardson was fired after pleading with FDR about his poor decision to centralize the Naval fleet at Pearl Harbor and warning of the risks. Unfortunately, his warning was proven right on December 7th when the Japanese attacked and sunk the fleet.