› added 13 years ago

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TIL Rudyard Kipling urged his 18-year-old son John to join WWI. He had such bad eyesight that he was repeatedly turned down. Kipling used his friendship with the Commander-In-Chief of the Army to get him in. John was sent into battle, where an exploding shell ripped his face apart.

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d8mA8 TIL that the "drink 8 glasses of water a day" is founded upon a 1945 recommendation that had no medical basis. Today's medical recommendation is "drink when you're thirsty, unless you're outside on a hot day or you're elderly"
R7o01 TIL after Boeing pressured the US Government to impose a 300% tariff on imports of Bombardier CSeries planes, Bombardier sold a 50.01% stake in the plane to Boeing's main competitor, Airbus, for 1 Canadian dollar.
J1a4l TIL the most expensive car in the world is no longer the 250 GTO but a 1955 Mercedes-Benz SLR coupe that sold for $142 million in 2022
GRAN TIL That in the Cold War the British developed a Nuclear land-mine that, in order to operate, required several live chickens.
Eg6r7 TIL that the Michael Myers mask used in “Halloween II” (1981) was the same Myers’ mask from the first film, but differs in appearance because producer Debra Hill, a chainsmoker, stored it under her bed for three years. The new Michael Myers actor also had a stockier build than the original one.