› added 7 years ago

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TIL John Priest survived the Asturias foundering (1907, damaged in collision), Olympic and Hawke collision (1911), Titanic sinking (1912, hit iceberg), Alcantara sinking (1916, torpedoed), Britannic sinking (1916, hit mine), and Donegal sinking (1917, torpedoed).

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PYb8n TIL the Olympics used to award medals for arts (literature, architecture, painting etc). Between 1912-1948 a total of 151 medals were awarded - the tradition was brought in because the Ancient Greeks used to hold art events alongside the games.
YpLYx TIL After uniting Mongol tribes under one banner, Genghis Khan actually did not want any more war. To open up trade, Genghis Khan sent emissaries to Muhammad II of Khwarezm, but Khwarezm Empire killed the Mongolian party. Furious Genghis Khan demolished Khwarezmian Empire in two years.
JaZ1 TIL that since the Chernobyl disaster, the area inside the ‘exclusion zone’ has become home to hundreds of wild animals such as deer, owls, boars, bears and beavers.
6ER4m TIL that 2000 year old date seeds that were found in a historic mountainside fortress were planted in 2005 and sprouted a sapling
nenQG TIL that the United States has no official language