› added 12 years ago

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TIL in 1914, a 19yo British boy was court martialed for desertion. He was undefended and called no witnesses, as all of his comrades had been killed in action. He was hastily sentenced, and on September 8th became the first WWI soldier to be executed for desertion. He was finally pardoned in 2006.

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e0WnL TIL A fitness tracking app gave away the locations of secret US army bases. The company released 3 trillion GPS data points to help people find popular running routes in major cities, however it was detailed enough to give away sensitive information of users on active military service.
d86B9 TIL about Operation Unthinkable, in which the Allies would invade the Soviet Union in a surprise attack, enlisting German P.O.W and U.S help in the aftermath of WW2.
Xgpj TIL A new bridge from Canada to the US is expected to become one of the largest international crossings in the world, but it almost wasn’t built because post-recession Michigan couldn’t afford it. Canada decided to pay for the bridge, land acquisition, and construction on both sides of the border.
5YnNk TIL that staring into a mirror in a dim room for a long time can make you hallucinate
R7Z69 TIL that the Tyrannosaurus Rex didn’t roar but rather they would make a low, almost grumble noise and use the vibrations from that noise to communicate, this is because they were actually stealthy hunters and would wait in the wooded areas and stalk their prey. Use headphones to listen to the video