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TIL that Stalin, sent an expedition to open Timur (Tamerlane) Kahn’s tomb, which had an inscription that read, ““Whoever disturbs my tomb will unleash an invader more terrible than I,” and two days later Hitler launched Operation Barbarossa, the largest and most brutal invasion of WWII.

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D1L4V TIL the founders of Hewlett-Packard flipped a coin to decide which order their names would be put in the company name. Packard won the toss and put Hewlett’s name first.
gZpb TIL in 1984, James Huberty called a mental health center seeking help. Because he did not state it was an emergency, his call was not returned. The next day he walked into a crowded McDonald’s in San Ysidro and began shooting, killing 21 and injuring 19 more.
ADVAw TIL: Getting teenage "groopie" nookie is why most musicians get on stage, said the legendary JOHN LENNON of THE BEATLES, "we're not getting on stage to have a card game." (Also, the stage crew gets more "action" than the actual band, due to their social-gatekeeping role.)
p8pRN TIL a German company made orchestral instruments from Perspex in the 1930s. The string instruments were too quiet for orchestras, but the flutes and clarinets were just as good as their metal or wooden equivalents.
gronL TIL that the world's first official airmail flight was conducted in 1911 in India, from Allahabad to Naini, over a distance of 13 km. The letters bore an official frank "First Aerial Post, U.P. Exhibition, Allahabad. 1911"