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TIL the American Civil War was the deadliest armed conflict in the country's history, resulting in 750,000 combined civilian and military casualties, which at the time (1860) represented 3% of the total population. By comparison, WW2 resulted in 405,399 casualties.

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4knn5 TIL of William Walker, an American physician, lawyer, journalist, mercenary, slavery supporter, and Southern folk hero from from Tennessee. Walker seized control of Nicaragua from 1856 to 1857, and convinced many U.S. Southerners of the desirability of creating a Confederate empire in Latin America.
1anDP TIL Lentils have been a source of sustenance for humans since prehistoric times. They are the oldest pulse crop known to man and one of the earliest domesticated crops. Depending on location, lentils were either considered a poor man's food or a delicacy for the upper class
YAx7 TIL the expression “May you live in interesting times” is known as the Chinese curse
gMGMb TIL a homeless man found a 10 000$ check on the street meant for a real estate broker and found a way to return it. So, touched, the broker awarded him a place to live and arranged for a job interview. A year later, he was on the board of directors of one of their foundations.
P5vZ TIL The idea of having the Olympic torch run from ancient Olympia to the host country was invented by the Nazis for the 1936 Berlin Summer Games.