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TIL the term "silhouette" has a political backstory. King Louis XV's General of Finances, Étienne de Silhouette, had a reputation for being cheap. Shadow portraits became popular during his tenure and got named after him due to being very cheap to make compared to commissioning a painting of oneself

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9Zbp TIL Executive Outcomes, a South African mercenary company, successfully quelled civil war in Sierra Leone. The United Nations pressured Sierra Leone’s government to replace them with peacekeepers. Civil War quickly broke out again upon EO’s dismissal.
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