› added 4 months ago

18

TIL that prior to the 20th century, scholars in Korea, China, and Vietnam could all easily communicate with each other in writing because everyone used Literary Chinese. However, they wouldn't have been able to talk to each other in person because each country pronounced the characters differently.

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4X5Kg TIL Valérie André was the first woman to fly a helicopter in a combat zone, piloting 129 helicopter missions between 1952 and 1953. André rescued 165 soldiers and twice parachuted into combat to treat wounded soldiers. André became the first French woman to achieve the rank of General Officer.
yQLJX TIL The Nazis greatly admired the policies of segregation and Jim Crow in the American South, and their anti-Jewish laws were directly inspired by American policy towards black people
GYZJj TIL Men generate their own little heat islands, kind of like walking space heaters. But since women typically have less muscle mass and evaporate less heat through the pores in their skin, they might feel colder than men in a room with the same air temperature
KMVB TIL that Jack Sparrow was branded as a “pirate” because rather than selling the slaves on the ship he was Captain of, as he was commanded to, he freed them- and there’s a series that recounts his story.
p879p TIL during the battle of Arnhem, after numerous communication failures, a pigeon named William of Orange flew over 400 km (250 miles) for over 4 and a half hours to deliver a message that would end up saving the lives of more than 2000 men. He later earned the Dickins Medal.