› added 8 years ago

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TIL 99.9% of Americans have never tasted blackcurrant due to sanctions put in place to protect white pine trees.

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0Xnv TIL:A man injected himself with snake venom during most of his adult life to build up an immunity to a array of venomous snakes. He lived to age 100, and survived a reported 172 snake bites. He donated his blood to be used in treating snake-bite victims when a suitable anti-venom was not available.
E19yP TIL of Joseph Beyrle, the only man who served in both the US and Soviet armies during the second world war. He took part in the D-Day landings, was captured, escaped and joined a Soviet tank battalion soon after.
x6QDo TIL British military scientists sent hundreds of Indian soldiers into gas chambers and exposed them to mustard gas and did not check up on the Indian soldiers after the experiments to see if they developed any illnesses. It is now recognised that mustard gas can cause cancer and other diseases.
yQAWV TIL that during the Mexican-American war, a battalion made up of mostly Irishmen called "St Patrick's Battalion" fought against the Americans, and when caught, were executed, making it the largest mass execution in United States history
wLgkY TIL that the A-10 Warthog, the most common drone in war, uses depleted Uranium as the bullet core, because Uranium has higher density than lead, but also because it sharpens itself as it penetrates something, effectively penetrating tanks and what not with its' 30mm rounds. (See video: ~10:15)