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TIL one of the key factors in the Nazi Blitzkreig was the wide use of Pervitin, an over-the-counter methamphetamine, available in Germany. The drug allowed soldiers to go sleepless for up to three nights and "dulled feelings of empathy, hunger and thirst and reduced sensitivity to pain."

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5YgeQ TIL Lightning plays an important part in the Earths nitrogen cycle by breaking down nitrogen molecules in the air, so they can be dissolved by rain, and then carried down to Earth. Nitrogen is a very important element and needed for the production, growth, and decomposition of every living thing.
ANPy7 TIL Lucy Hester Stanhope (1776-1839), a British adventurer and archaeologist, discovered a 7-foot tall Greco-Roman statue which she then smashed into pieces and tossed into the Mediterranean because she wanted to prove to the Ottoman government that she had no interest in stealing their antiquities.
mxMvv TIL That the founder of Adidas and the founder of Puma were brothers. They split up to form their own companies in 1948. They had a bitter rivalry that lasted until they died. Even today, both companies have their headquarters Herzogenaurach, Germany, the small town where both brothers grew up.
X01OQ TIL that Elmer Fridrich and Emmet Wiley developed the halogen lamp at General Electric in Nela Park, Ohio in 1955. Fridrich figured out that one had to use a small amount of iodine surrounding the tungsten filament, which would allow it to burn at elevated temperatures.
worlY TIL despite being known as the highest honor of the U.S. military, the Medal of Honor has also been awarded to foreign soldiers. Following WW1, congress passed a law awarding the honor to the unknown soldiers of Belgium, France, Great Britain, Italy, and Romania.