› added 7 years ago

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TIL James Hong (Lopan from Big Trouble in Little China) served in the US Army during the Korean War, but he was so entertaining to the other troops in training camp that the camp general requested he stay at the camp to be in charge of live shows rather than deploy overseas.

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mJgP TIL after French soldier Jean Bernadotte showed kindness to a few Swedish soldiers, he became so popular in Sweden that the Swedes decided to make him their king when a vacancy came up, despite him never having set foot in Sweden before. The House of Bernadotte rules Sweden to this day.
OGOZ4 TIL that the Romanian Parliament building, commissioned by dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu, was so massive and deeply tied to the national economy that, after the 1989 revolution, the new democratic government had no choice but to continue using it—it was simply too costly and complex to abandon
8daa TIL that the Central Intelligence Agency has a memorial wall at headquarters for employees who are killed while working for the US spy agency. Each year the CIA adds stars for deaths; some with names, some without. There are 125 stars as of 2017, eight more than in 2016 and 46 more than in 2002.
VBNA4 TIL that Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor received four marriage proposals while attending Stanford Law School, including one from future Chief Justice William Rehnquist.
ADj9n TIL that despite having a population of just 650,000, Memphis, Tennessee has the world's largest cargo airport, shipping more tonnes of cargo per year than Los Angeles and Dubai combined