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69

TIL that Morse code is officially considered obsolete and was removed as an international standard for communication in 1999. The French Navy's last Morse message read; "Calling all. This is our last cry before our eternal silence."

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Bg1lx TIL The first mail-order brides were known as "tobacco wives" as the men who married them had to reimburse the Virginia Company with 120 pounds of "good leaf tobacco".
ZpAD4 TIL that the paradise tree snake can glide hundreds of feet through the air, with speeds up to 25 MPH.
4okX TIL The longest novel ever published is ‘Artamène ou le Grand Cyrus’ by Madeleine de Scudéry (1653) with 2.1 million words.
J1bKk TIL the Dutch adopted gibbing (removing herring organs except pyloric caecae) from Scania, letting the fish pickle at sea in brine. They stayed longer after herring shoals, returning with pre-salted catches that fueled centuries of trade dominance—an iconic dish with global roots!
m1Zmy TIL the front wheels of a street grader are angled to increase the graders ability to move dirt off to one side.