› added 2 years ago

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TIL of the Caprivi Strip. When the German colonialists wanted access to the oceans via the river, they bought the area from the British- who neglected to mention that the river would pass the Victoria Falls, the world’s largest waterfall, making the land completely useless. No refunds were offered.

m6ko TIL: In WWII the U.S. dumped millions of dollars worth of Jeeps, Coca-Cola, food, etc. into the ocean to spite the British and French who refused to pay 6 cents on the dollar for everything, thinking eventually they’d get it for free. Found this scuba diving video of it today.
VMy64 TIL that Theodore Roosevelt was a major force in labor rights, implementing eight hour workdays and industry safety regulations, abolishing slavery in the Philippines and peonage more generally, investigating child labor claims, and establishing the forerunner to the USES, among many other things.
X01rX TIL that when Ohio was added as a state in 1803, Congress forgot to ratify it’s constitution. Technically, Ohio wasn’t officially granted statehood until 1953.
mj1p TIL that according to an Iowa State University study, the Pokéwalker is one of the most accurate pedometers ever made
ZpDyB TIL Between June and December of 1982, E.T. The Extraterrestrial led the box office in 16 of the 25 weeks. Interspersed into the run were #1 movies like Porky’s, Conan, Wrath of Khan, Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and An Officer and a Gentleman. E.T. kept returning as the family friendly favorite