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TIL After Peter the Great mandated that all officers in his army must have started their career as privates, noble families began to register newborn boys as privates. First reporting for service at the age of 15, the boys were then promoted through seniority to junior lieutenant or equivalent rank

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4X7D6 TIL two German brothers Adolf and Rudolf founded two of the biggest rival shoe companies Adidas and Puma after a family feud drove them apart. This conflict divided their home town to the point that employees of the two companies strictly avoided each other and stuck to separate bars and bakeries.
KOl56 TIL that Cards Against Humanity joked about how they could have bought a small private island with the money they donated to charity. So in 2014 they did, renaming it “Hawaii 2”
1ywO TIL that Minnesota is known for its idiosyncratic social and political orientations and its high rate of civic participation and voter turnout. It’s standard of living index is among the highest in the United States, and the state is also among the best-educated and wealthiest in the nation.
epdxD TIL The Harlem Globetrotters once lost track of a game and found themselves down 12 with 2 minutes left. Forced to play normal basketball, they rallied but could not recover. When the final buzzer sounded, the crowd was dumbfounded and disappointed. Some children in the stands cried after the loss.
GAKEG TIL that the city of Marseille dates back to an ancient Greek colony named Massalia and is considered one of Europe's oldest continuously inhabited settlements.