› added 12 years ago

130

TIL that the WWII British code breakers had discovered the preparations for the German invasion of the USSR, but, although this information was passed to the Soviet government, Stalin refused to believe it.

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rRmXx TIL plants may have a form of vision/sight, and one plant in particular, Boquila trifoliolata, can change its leaf size, color, and shape to match living and/or artificial plants on which it is climbing.
VgE8 TIL that not only can Brazilian prisoners take time off their sentences by writing book reports, but also by riding exercise bicycles that helps power the local plaza. (16 hours of biking = 1 day removed from sentence)
xV59D TIL that Samuel McCulloch, a freed slave, was the first Texian soldier to be wounded during the Texas Revolution, in 1835. A law later prohibited freed slaves from residing in the Republic of Texas, but specifically excluded McCulloch, his family, and his descendants in recognition of his service.
a8VxZ TIL Australian band, Men At Work were sued over their song "Down Under" for similarities to an Australian nursery rhyme "Kookaburra".
b99XE TIL that R.E.M. was going to sign with Geffen records, but chose not to because Geffen sued Neil Young for making a record that Geffen didn't like.