› added 1 year ago

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TIL that a Prime Minister's son begged for money. Ken'ichi Yoshida was son of Prime Minister of Japan Shigeru Yoshida. When they argued and father ended financial aid, Ken'ichi sat outside the International Press Club with a sign, "Prime Minister's son - penniless", forcing Shigeru to resume funds.

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OobBg TIL of Thalidomide, a "safe" drug made by the german pharmaceutical company Grunenthal, that deformed thousands of babies around the world because it was sold as safe for pregnant women, when it was not. The company never made up for it, and today's FDA rules were created in response to this drug.
LvW9 TIL Russian President Boris Yeltsin in 1995 was found on Pennsylvania Avenue, drunk, in his underwear and trying to hail a cab in order to find pizza
rke TIL on average 1 in 4 Norwegians knew a victim affected by the 2011 terrorist attack
yOdM TIL that oats and rye were weeds that evolved to imitate wheat and barley to confuse farmers, and only later were farmed on purpose
YpWRG TIL in Lord of War starring Nicholas Cage, they bought 3000 real guns for the filming because it was cheaper to buy real guns and resell later than buying props. They also rented 50 tanks which were only available for a short period because the source had to sell them to Libya later