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TIL The Shiba Inu nearly became extinct during World War II due to a combination of food shortage and a post-war distemper epidemic. All subsequent dogs were bred from the only three surviving bloodlines.

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JYArm TIL the oldest monument in Paris is over 3,000 years old. The Ottoman ruler of Egypt gave a 75 ft, 250 ton ancient Egyptian obelisk to France in exchange for a mechanical clock in 1833. The obelisk was placed in the center of the Place de la Concorde where it stands today.
p8Eje TIL that a violent Japanese leftist group, the United Red Army, invaded a ski lodge and took the housekeeper hostage, resulting in a bloody ten-day standoff with the police and the first-ever live 24-hour news coverage in Japan
NAkQ TIL Al Jean (a writer and producer of The Simpsons) said if the series ever ends, he would like the final episode to end with the arrival of the Christmas pageant from the first scene of the pilot episode “Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire,” making the whole series a continuous loop.
W7ojN TIL an amateur archaeologist discovered European cave paintings used a proto-writing system meant to convey the gestation period of the various animals they painted by using dots to indicate the lunar cycle.
KYgLw TIL In Nigeria, lions are now on the verge of extinction. Tourists could easily sight lions when they visited Yankari National Park four decades ago and the adult lion population is now estimated at fewer than 50. Tanzania has the most lions, at 8000