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TIL that The Gambia and Tobago were colonised by the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia - now part of Latvia. Perhaps not surprisingly, the Latvian Duchy was unable to hold on to its colonial possessions for very long.

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Lk48V TIL the 1989 Beastie Boys album "Paul’s Boutique" was created before copyright law for sampling was well established and it would cost at least $20 million to clear the samples if it were released today
MvXb TIL that due to time dilation its possible to travel anywhere in the galaxy within a human lifetime. A ship accelerating constantly at 1g (earth gravity) could travel to the center of the milky way and back in 40 years.
W7YkA TIL a news outlet in Cleveland, Ohio reenacted a real court case using puppets and a transcript because their cameras weren't allowed
aw0pb TIL A solar plant in the Mojave Desert generates so much heat it incinerates birds in mid flight
gr6M4 TIL Mao Zedong is is generally credited with eradicating both consumption and production of opium in China during the 1950s. Under his government, 10 million addicts were forced into compulsory treatment, dealers were executed, and opium-producing regions were planted with new crops.