› added 6 years ago

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TIL that after earning the Medal of Honor, John Basilone was offered an officer’s commission and stateside duty but refused. He instead volunteered again for combat and was killed in Iwo Jima while guiding a tank through a minefield on foot. For these actions, he was awarded the Navy Cross.

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Q5eL TIL that Iraq shuts down the internet to prevent cheating during school exams
694Mw TIL that the book "I, Robot" by Isaac Asimov got its title from an earlier story with the same name, despite Asimov disagreeing with the publisher's naming decision. This earlier story was written ten years before by Otto Binder.
OoEML TIL the population of English rabbits in Australia grew from 24 in 1859 to an estimated 10 billion in the 1920s!
J1O6k TIL Nikola Tesla never married, but claimed to have fallen in love with a white pigeon. After its death, he told friends that he felt his life's work was over. “I loved that pigeon as a man loves a woman, and she loved me. As long as I had her, there was a purpose to my life.”
QJGL9 TIL Antarctica used to be covered in lush rainforests well adapted to months with no sunlight in the winter