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TIL Cato the Elder's constant reiteration of "Carthage must be destroyed" was countered by Publius Cornelius Scipio Nasica Corculum's constant reiteration of "Carthage should be preserved". Scipio's opinion prevailed at the time because many Romans believed that the threat of Carthage united them.

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jNJgM TIL that in 1818 US began building a fort near the New York - Quebec border to defend against invasions from Canada.After 2 years of construction, they realized the fort was actually on the Canadian side.They abandoned it and nicknamed it Fort Blunder.
E8yw TIL That a 2 year old boy sat up in his coffin during his funeral, asked his father for a glass of water, then died again. Nobody knows what happened.
Yvnx TIL during the Civil War, Lincoln suspended the writ of Habeas Corpus. This allowed for the arrest of those who expressed sympathy for the Confederate cause. Furthermore, it also prevented military officials from being convicted of false arrest, false imprisonment or search and seizure violations.
N6eP TIL: A Japanese CEO took a pay-cut along with the employees during recession, and, when told about America’s rich-poor pay-gap, said “We in Japan learned during the bubble economy that businesses who pursue money first fail. The business world has lost sight of this basic tenet of business ethics.”
4kdgo TIL in 1942, the British government bought ALL the black tea available on the european market, considering it essential for the morale of their troops in North Africa