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TIL that King Louis XV of France maintained secret diplomatic channels to further his personal interests when they were at odds with the interests of France. The group of 32 agents was called Secret du Roi and was involved in a candidacy for the Polish throne, and the American War of Independence.

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Z8kVo TIL that Taiwan embassy in Vatican is located in Rome, Italy - which doesn't recognize Taiwan as an independent country.
GAoG TIL Chuck Yeager, the first man to break the sound barrier in a plane, did it with a broken arm and two broken ribs and had to close the plane’s cockpit with a broomstick.
nevN9 TIL the TV show ’The Office’ had to halt production during the 2007 Writer’s Strike because Steve Carell, who supported the writers, refused to cross picket lines. On the first day of the strike he called in to the network sick, citing “enlarged balls” as the reason.
kegW TIL that the Tardigrade (AKA the water bear) is a tiny organism that is pretty much immortal. It goes into some sort of cryo sleep to protect itself from extreme temperatures, radiation,…dont need any water and have survived a spacewalk.
R5Ny7 TIL of Cottonclads, a class of lightly armed Confederate river ships armored with cotton bales. They used sharpshooters and rams as their main weapons, dropping the gangplanks down to board Union ships. They were used effectively at the Battle of Galveston, capturing the Harriet Lane.