› added 5 months ago

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TIL that the 11th century Krak de Chevaliers castle was still effective during the Syrian civil war, being used as a command center and military outpost by anti-Assad rebels and only fell after 133 struck a deal to flee to Lebanon.

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bd17 TIL The Foo Fighters once cancelled a tour so they could play for David Letterman on his first show back from heart surgery
4kaMo TIL that a herbert box is a region of the tropical Atlantic Ocean that can be used as an indicator for powerful hurricanes that may strike south Florida. Storms that have passed through a herbert box have collectively killed over 5,000 people
DlDY TIL after President George H.W. Bush and the First Lady were diagnosed with Graves’ disease — and their dog, lupus — the Secret Service tested the White House water supply
QJeaL TIL the majority of mammal fossils are male. Some think because they more wide-ranging, reckless and foolhardy, e.g. in the case of mammoths, “they were more likely to do silly things, like die in tar pits.”
wL5W1 TIL a casket is rectangular and a coffin is hexagonal. The tapered ends of a coffin saves a bit of cost because it uses less material to make.