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TIL that Charles Darwin was an avid beetle collector. One day he found 2 rare beetles and seized one in each hand. He then saw a third one, and thus put one of the beetles he already had into his mouth. It ejected some acid and burnt his tongue, forcing him to spit it out. He lost 2 of the beetles.

Read more darwin-online.org.uk

via reddit.com

rNr90 TIL about Vizeadmiral Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière. The most successful U-boat captain in history. During WW1 he sank 194 ships with a tonnage of 453,716 GRT. He rarely used torpedoes, favouring his 8.8cm deck gun. He made an effort to allow crews to evacuate before sinking their ship.
QJVoa TIL that North Koreans are especially proud of Kim Jong Il for his "inventions". One of them is the Gogigyeopbbang or double breaded meat, which is essentially a hamburger.
16beW TIL that a lot of soldiers during WW2 were using and abusing hard drugs. Japanese, American and British forces consumed large amounts of amphetamines, but the Germans were the most enthusiastic early adopters, pioneering pill-popping on the battlefield during the initial phases of the war.
loV4K TIL In 2004, Burger King held a "cockfight" to determine which of their chicken sandwiches was superior - it aired once on DirecTV
7reYM TIL the ancient myths of Australian Aborigines portray the formation of geographical features in Australia, dating to 10,000 BC, with striking accuracy. The myths corroborate modern geological evidence, indicating they originated as firsthand accounts, preserved for millennia.