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TIL that the U.S. Merchant Marines had the highest casualty rate of any U.S. service branch in WWII. Even so, survivors were denied veterans benefits until 1988.

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via reddit.com

j69oE Today I learned that the clavicle (collarbone) is the first to ossify (harden into bone) at 5-7 weeks in utero, and the last to finish developing in the late teens to early 20s.
JYLy4 TIL Early in his naval career, Horatio Nelson nearly died while fighting a polar bear. Wanting the bear’s pelt as a gift for his father, Nelson’s gun misfired and he attacked the bear with the butt of his rifle. He was only saved when his ship fired a cannon that scared the bear and it ran off.
GOyG TIL Randy Johnson is the oldest pitcher to pitch a perfect game and the only one who accidentally exploded a bird.
ANXQn TIL: Confederate States Army general Robert E. Lee was married to George Washington’s granddaughter, Anna Randolph Custis.
newMP TIL: Led Zeppelin's song "D'yer Mak'er" is a pun on "Jamaica" when pronounced with a Cockney accent. This was due to the song being reggae-influenced