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TIL that in the the 17th century Navies doled out a daily ration of a half a pint of rum per sailor. This practice was continued by countries around the world and wasn’t completely stopped until 1990.

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E1LMV TIL that “Caligula” was a nickname given to Gaius Caesar as a toddler by his father’s soldiers because he had a little soldier’s outfit, including tiny, hobnailed boots (caligae) such as the infantry wore.
lJaA TIL when serving apple pie in Vermont, a “good faith” effort must be made to serve it with a glass of cold milk, at least ½ oz cheddar cheese, or a large scoop of vanilla ice cream
5a1p TIL in 1851, a runaway slave named Jerry was arrested in Syracuse NY during the anti-slavery Liberty Party’s convention. A crowd of hundreds of abolitionists broke into the city jail and freed Jerry, eventually smuggling him to Canada. Nine participants in the rescue also fled to avoid prosecution.
6EMGX TIL the Chinese referred to the Roman Empire as "Great China" (Daqin) because they thought of Rome as a civilized counterpart to the Chinese Empire, and describing: "Their kings are not permanent. They select and appoint the most worthy man. [...] The people of this country are all tall and honest."
OyER TIL Japanese voice actress Tomoko Kaneda can produce sounds at a frequency beyond that of human hearing, and grew 4cm in height between the ages of 29 and 37.