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TIL that during WWII, the Soviets executed 158,000 soldiers for desertion. Each Soviet army had “blocking detachments” (barrier troops) which would shoot “cowards” and fleeing panicked troops at the rear.

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WQv4 TIL only four countries in the world have no law requiring paid maternity leave: they are Liberia, Papua New Guinea, Swaziland, and the United States
JY7kv TIL JFK's father Joseph Kennedy made much of his fortune through insider trading. FDR later made him chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission. When asked why he appointed a crook, FDR replied, "set a thief to catch a thief." Kennedy proceeded to outlaw the practices that made him rich.
8XM8 TIL Don Black, former Grand Wizard of the KKK and founder of Storm Front, was shot in the chest by Jerry Ray, brother of the assassin that killed Martin Luther King Jr.
6kKw TIL of Melvin Milligan, who in 2000, used the regular mail to send in his winning jackpot ticket and claim a $46 million prize. He did not use certified or insured mail. When asked to comment on this decision at his news conference, he stated “I have faith in the postal service.”
OoVvg Researchers from University of California San Diego School of Medicine and Arizona State University found that if a car is parked in the sun on a summer day, the interior temperature can reach 116 degrees F. and the dashboard may exceed 165 degrees F. in approximately one hour — the time it can take for a young child trapped in a car to suffer fatal injuries.