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TIL the phrase "I have a bridge to sell you" comes from the exploits of George C. Parker, a comically skilled con man who was infamous for "selling" the Brooklyn Bridge and other scams with great success.

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8e18 TIL in the German Army, soldiers are obliged to disobey any order they think would violate human dignity. Few, if any other armies have this rule
R7RY9 TIL whilst filming the movie Entebbe, about a plane being hijacked, a plane was hijacked and landed at the airport on the day of the filming. They then filmed the real hostages being released and edited it into the movie. The producer called it a "blessing from the sky on a day of bad acting."
RYbQ TIL 18-year-old Joshua Browder created a ‘robot lawyer’ that allows people to get free, custom-generated legal documents to appeal their wrongly issued parking fines. It’s estimated that his service has already saved users $3 million.
QJZWM TIL Mughal Emperor Akbar faced rebellion from his clerics for entertaining Jesuits in his court.
9YxGp TIL the "Nigerian Prince" money scam people receive through email can actually be dated back as far as the 1830s, with people receiving letters that falsely promise gold and diamonds in return for money.