› added 12 years ago

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TIL in 2002 the US military conducted an elaborate $250mil war game against a retired USMC Lt Gen who employed unconventional tactics like motorcycle messengers and suicide bombers, inflicting “the worst naval disaster since Pearl Harbor” and resulted in the exercise being restarted with a handicap.

Read more theguardian.com

via reddit.com

84LL TIL the library posters in “The Breakfast Club” can also be seen in the school halls of “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” Both John Hughes films were shot back-to-back to save time and money.
jNkBN TIL about the Christmas pickle. A supposedly German tradition, where you hide a pickle in the Christmas tree and whoever finds it first gets a reward. Apparently this is a well known tradition in the US, but not of German origin and in fact completely unknown in Germany.
78JbZ TIL Quttinirpaaq is Canada’s northernmost national park, accessible only by charter plane from Resolute Bay, 720 km away. Parks Canada offers Weatherhaven semi-private accommodation, a rugged insulated tent with a solid floor, bed, and interior walls
4XeRb TIL that the Dorobo tribe of Kenya steal fresh meat from the mouths of lions. The method is thousands of years old; they find a pride that has had a fresh kill during daytime, then walk up to them while they’re feeding and cut off some meat. The lions are too startled to react and usually run away.
YpVEG TIL that Irish dance is rumored to have started when the British banned dancing during the Irish oppression....leading them to start dancing with a stiff top half so that British soldiers couldn’t tell through home windows.