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TIL at one point in the Cultural Revolution in China, factories churned out 50 million Mao badges a month. So much aluminum was diverted to those badges that by 1969 Mao himself had to step in, demanding "give me back my airplanes."

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0o4N TIL that for 6 years a security guard at the company that did McDonald’s marketing and promotions stole game pieces worth $24 Million, netting $1 Million in kickbacks for himself as he could not redeem prizes himself.
JYrdj TIL that diplomats carry 'diplomatic bags'. These house secret information or anything pertaining to the duties of the diplomats who carry it - diplomatic bags have just the same immunity as diplomats themselves, meaning it cannot be opened/searched by law enforcement in a foreign country.
rNamM TIL: Art was once an Olympic sport. This was proposed by Pierre de Coubertin (Founder of modern games) Between 1912 and 1948 medals were given out for sporting-inspired masterpieces of architecture, music, painting, sculpture and literature.
VBBrk TIL that time dilation is the reason we can use muon tomography to scan the Great Pyramids. From their point of view, muons only live a very short time. But they go so fast that from our point of view, they live long enough to penetrate the atmosphere and large objects.
PYBwL TIL that the Michelin star, the ultimate hallmark of culinary excellence, was created by the Michelin tyre company in 1900. The company decided that publishing a ratings guide for hotels and restaurants would compel the limited number of drivers to use up their tyres and buy more.