› added 4 years ago

143

TIL that Stephen Ambrose (Band of Brothers) probably lied about interviewing Dwight Eisenhower for the books that first made Ambrose’s name

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oBmoA TIL that when Maize (corn) was first introduced to Europe some Spaniards worried that by eating indigenous food, which they did not consider nutritious, they would weaken and risk turning into Indians
nOd TIL that the Moriori, the native people of the Chatham Islands, embraced pacifism and lived by a code of passive resistance which led to their demise at the hands of Maori invaders after two influential chiefs decided non-violence was not a strategy for survival but a moral imperative
xVxNb TIL the strategy where a gambler doubles the bet after every loss, so that the first win would recover all previous losses plus win a profit equal to the original stake is called the Martingale System.
OoByg TIL that Stalin's daughter caused an international furor when she defected and became a naturalized citizen of the United States.
QJyVd TIL the actor Martin Sheen has been arrested 66 times for protesting and other civil disobedience.