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TIL that Portuguese soldiers used black swords in the Age of Discovery in order to not reflect the light and announce their presence on ships, avoiding also its rusting when used near salt water.

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oB6Gr TIL that a tornado appeared out of nowhere in DC after the British set fire to the White House in 1814, putting out the flames and killing more soldiers than the American resistance.
ADAOn TIL a California man was stabbed to death by a rooster at an illegal cockfight he was attending.
9YN7Q TIL of the mining town “Rough and Ready” which for 88 days in 1850 seceded from the union becoming “the Great Republic of Rough and Ready”
0wbxv TIL the Beastie Boys have sold 20 million records in the United States, making them the biggest-selling rap group since Billboard began recording sales in 1991
KYbnw TIL that astronaut Neil Armstrong had to fill out a customs form upon returning to Earth. The form listed his occupation as an astronaut and his destination as the moon.