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TIL about the world's shortest war between two countries. 38 Minutes of British Naval Bombardment made the Sultan of Zanzibar flee to the German consulate for asylum. He was quite rightfully denied asylum and quickly surrendered.

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WkAZd TIL about the 1956 Dutch-American Friendship Treaty. Americans with 4500 Euros can obtain a 2-year visa to work as an independent contractor in Holland. This can be extended long enough to ultimately apply for Dutch/EU citizenship.
bbl4 TIL that a Nasir al-Din al-Tusi, a Medieval Persian scholar, put forward the basic theory of evolution 600 years before Darwin was born
8aWmG TIL World's largest printer of Bibles is in China, and is also the only company in China authorized to print Bibles.
67Am TIL Saint Philosophus, before he was martyred, was tied to a bed by his persecutors. They then sent in a prostitute, in an attempt to take away his chastity before he died. With no other options, he bit off his tongue and spat it at the prostitute, who was so horrified that she ran from the room.
yy8e TIL the 2002 movie Russian Ark was filmed in one single 96-minute take, on the third try. The shot involved 33 sets, 867 actors, 3 live orchestras, hundreds of extras, and a steadicam operator taking a 1.3 km journey through it all.