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TIL The origin of french fries is a hotly contested issue between Belgium and France. Belgium claims a 1781 family manuscript proves they were invented there, while France claims Paris street vendors invented the dish just before the French revolution.

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xV1W1 TIL that after John Muir recovered from temporary blindness,caused by a factory accident that shot a piece of metal into his eye, he dedicated his life to the environment and help established Yosemite, Sequoia, Mount Rainer, and the Grand Canyon as National Parks.
8errP TIL Admiral Yamaguchi of the IJN was a staunch supporter of the Pearl Harbor attack plan. When the initial plan left his carrier division out of the attack force, Yamaguchi got drunk, accosted Admiral Nagumo in his cabin, and got him in a headlock until someone broke up the fight.
vrK4 TIL Elevator ‘close door’ buttons in the U.S. were made to be unresponsive or have a delayed response because of a section in the Americans with Disabilities Act (1990) that mandates the doors stay open a min. of 3 seconds to allow those with disabilities to enter/exit
LkPBd TIL THE world's two largest standing Buddhas - one of them 165ft high - were blown up by the Taliban in Afghanistan in 2001. After failing to destroy the 1,700-year-old sandstone statues of Buddha with anti-aircraft and tank fire, the Taliban brought a Lorryload of dynamite from Kabul.
WknWB TIL the inventor of QR code is a Go player; he was inspired by its patterns and applied the idea to the QR code