› added 3 weeks ago

4

TIL that the Preakness Stakes, second race of the Triple Crown, is known as "The Run for the Black-Eyed Susans", after the state flower of Maryland. However, since the race is held in May and the flowers don't bloom until June, a chrysanthemum garland is used instead.

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YpnQW TIL of "knocker-uppers" a profession with the sole purpose of waking people up in the morning, later to become obsolete by alarm clocks.
VMQnD TIL about Moe Berg, the “strangest man to ever play baseball,” who spoke several languages and found a post-baseball career as a US spy during World War II and was ordered to kill Werner Heisenberg if the Nazis came close to building a nuclear bomb.
W7NYL TIL the Korean War had a higher rate of civilian casualties than the Vietnam War
9YYRG Pack on some extra pounds for winter
R7vy1 TIL that in 1968 RAF pilot Alan Pollock illegally flew his Hawker Hunter Jet through the span of Tower Bridge in Central London. His actions were to mark the 50th anniversary of the founding of the RAF and as a demonstration against the Ministry of Defence for not recognising it.