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TIL: Thomas Jefferson invented his “wheel cypher” in the 1790s and a deceptively innovative little device it is. In fact, this machine was so far ahead of its time, it was still in active use in the US military 150 years later at the beginning of WW2.

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7r0Pp TIL when MAD published a parody of Star Wars, George Lucas' lawyers demanded the issue be recalled and that Lucasfilm receive all revenue from the issue. Unbeknownst to Lucas' lawyers, MAD had just received a letter from Lucas, expressing delight over it and comparing the artist to Leonardo Da Vinci
pMAN TIL Sealand is a micronation that was founded on a abandoned sea fort
4XEkX TIL J.D. Salinger, author of The Catcher in the Rye, served in WW2 and landed on D-Day while carrying the first six chapters of the book with him. At the end of the war he checked himself into a mental institution. When he got out, he signed back up and participated in the denazification of Germany.
Wky0N TIL a small lake in Africa killed 1,700 villagers and 3,500 livestock overnight when it suddenly released 300,000 tons of carbon dioxide, suffocating everything within 16 miles. Scientists still don't know what triggered the event.
gymD TIL popcorn kernels that don’t pop are called “old maids” because they lack the necessary moisture to pop