› added 6 years ago

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TIL that the 1972 Novel “The Day of the Jackal” showcased an easy method of obtaining a fraudulent British passport, which was later used by the IRA and the KGB. This loophole went unclosed until 2007, and may have resulted in up to 1,500 fake passports being issued each year.

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dD6rB TIL the UN & Survival International estimate that 100-200 uncontacted tribes (up to 10,000 individuals total) currently exist in the world. A majority of these live in South America with Brazil & National Geographic estimating that between 77-84 tribes reside in northern Brazil alone.
EgGvV TIL Russian linguist and decipherer of the Mayan script Yuri Knorozov always listed his cat Asya as his co-author, but the editors always removed her. He always used a photo of him with Asya as the author photo, and was annoyed when the editors cropped her out.
MY8K TIL of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in 1919 where over 1500 peaceful protestors were shot dead in 10 minutes by the British in India
dD8xK TIL that the medals John Lennon wore on the cover of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band were owned by the Grandfather of drummer Pete Best who was kicked out of the band years prior.
woP81 TIL, that after Captain James Cook's death by Hawaiian natives during his third voyage, a theatrical production of his voyage opened in Paris, and later London. The "grand serious pantomimic ballet", set on ‘The Island of O-Why-e in the South Sea’, had little resemblance to any actual event.