› added 4 years ago

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TIL that Swiss diplomat Carl Lutz was behind the largest rescue operation during the Second World War. According to estimates, Swiss activities, of which Carl Lutz was in charge, are thought to have helped to save 62,000 Jews from death

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via reddit.com

X0p8P TIL that feudalism continued in Europe until 2008, when the tiny English Channel island of Sark elected a new form of government
wQ0M TIL in 2006, “to understand and protect the home planet” was quietly removed from NASA’s mission statement.
8aMyV TIL a polar bear's outer layer of fur isn't white, each hair is actually a hollow and completely transparent tube. The fur only appears white because of the reflection of the sun and unlike most arctic mammals, they do not shed their coat in the summer in order to maintain camouflage.
1Wd7 TIL that US interrogators tortured an Afghan detainee to death by hanging him by his arms for 4 days and beating his legs so badly they needed amputation. They did this despite most interrogators believing him to be “an innocent man who simply drove his taxi past the American base at the wrong time”
5YaZ8 TIL between 1990 and 1998 the population of water voles in the UK dropped from 2.2 million to just 354k or 750k, depending on the source.