› added 8 years ago

367

TIL that Albert, King of Belgium, was the only WWI head of state to fight on the front lines alongside his men, and many Germans didn’t shoot at him out of respect. Additionally, he allowed his 14-year-old son to enlist and serve alongside him.

Read more warhistoryonline.com

via reddit.com

R7Yj8 TIL the phrase "I have a bridge to sell you" comes from the exploits of George C. Parker, a comically skilled con man who was infamous for "selling" the Brooklyn Bridge and other scams with great success.
Pd7g TIL that before the Washington Monument was completed, the tallest structure in the US was the 234 foot tall Phoenix Shot Tower, where molten lead was dropped from a platform at the top of the tower through a sieve into a vat of cold water at the bottom, forming perfect spheres of shot.
M7kMW TIL about the Grande Seca (The Great Drought), the most devastating drought ever recorded in Brazil. It caused the deaths of 400,000-500,000 people. Of the 800,000 people living in the affected Northeastern region, 120,000 migrated to the Amazon while 68,000 migrated to other regions of the country.
M7Lp8 TIL that Spock from Star Trek was almost cut from the show. NBC feared that the Vulcan "looked like the devil and might offend religionists in the audience."
Br5DL TIL about the Medlar, a fruit that was once popular in ancient and medieval times but was nearly forgotten in the 20th Century (Deleted and reposted due to title error in the original post, which stated that this fruit is enjoyed rotten. In fact, bletting is a kind of ripening)