› added 11 years ago

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TIL that the oldest commissioned naval vessel in the world is the USS Constitution. She was launched in 1797.

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b6oJ9 TIL Whale foreskin is used to make leather goods.
Qmm6 TIL rubbing (or isopropyl) alcohol usually comes in three concentrations: 70%, 91%, and 99%. The 70% dissapates slower and should not be used to clean electronics.
ava0 TIL During the Prohibition Act, the government poisoned industrial alcohol in order to scare off bootleggers. As a result, around 10,000 people died until the Prohibition was repealed.
ne6XG TIL about Astroturfing, the practice of masking something to make it seem like it's a grass roots movement inside a country or area when it's actually being controlled by outside sources
wdrP TIL Xu QinXian, the commander of China’s most elite army in 1989, refused to open fire on civilians at Tiananmen, stating: “the People’s Army has never in its history been used to suppress the people, I absolutely refuse to besmirch this historical record!” He was court martialled but not executed.