› added 5 years ago

96

TIL of the Kudirka Incident: a Soviet sailor swam from his ship and attempted to defect with the American Coast Guard. Not knowing the protocol for granting asylum, the Coast Guard eventually allowed the Soviets onto their vessel, where they arrested him and sentenced him to 10 years in prison.

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KZYR TIL Witness protection in the US was instituted to protect people testifying against members of the KKK
e0NeE TIL Jazz was invented by James Reese Europe in Harlem in the years before World War I. Europe used machine gun sound effects into his tunes and he was dead by the age of 40, murdered by his drummer
gM8my TIL Cuddling has about the same effect on the brain as taking painkillers
rGbW TIL Fawlty Towers - considered by many (including the British Film Institute) to be the best British television series of all time - only consists of 12 episodes, and that the last 6 episodes were produced 4 years after the first 6.
5GdR TIL there are still 10 counties in Alabama that will not issue anyone a marriage license in protest of same-sex marriage