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TIL that one of the most famous actresses of the silent film era in the US was Alla Nazimova, originally from Russia. She had romantic affairs with a number of other actresses and coined the use of the phrase “sewing circle” to refer to closeted lesbian or bisexual actresses of her day.

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wL5m6 TIL Around 30,000 Canadians fought in the Vietnam war by volunteering to serve in the American armed forces.
X9pE TIL in the twilight of the Cold War, the United States spent millions of dollars to supply Afghan schoolchildren with textbooks filled with violent images and militant Islamic teachings, part of covert attempts to spur resistance to the Soviet occupation.
5YMER TIL That ancient Romans used to whiten their teeth with urine.
lmKN TIL that artificial sweeteners like Splenda contain sugar but can call themselves “zero calorie” because the FDA allows rounding down of the caloric content because of the small package sizes
0d1JM TIL in 1831 four countries claimed a new island in the Mediterranean that disappeared again only six months later