› added 5 years ago

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TIL the short-lived Korean Empire (1897-1910), eager to modernize, purchased a ship from Japan spending 30% of its entire military budget. It turned out to be a deceptively packaged cargo ship useless for combat. Japan later took it back after dismantling the military and colonizing the nation.

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mWgy TIL Christopher Lee (91), who played Saruman, Count Dooku, etc. is a descendant of the First Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne. He is a heavy metal singer and recorded a full solo album (2010). He killed Nazis in the British special forces, and even witnessed the last guillotine execution in France
4wwb TIL that at a London Gentleman’s Club, to avoid confusion, all male staff members are referred to as ‘George’. This caused a dilemma when the first (and so far, only) female steward was hired in the 1980s. The problem was solved when it was decided that she would be called 'Georgina’
NNRM TIL there is a fake propaganda news agency probably funded by the Russian government at ~USD 400k per month. Called the “Internet Research Agency”, it is run out of Russia and makes millions of fake posts and comments round the world against enemies of Russia….. (including the USA).
44RJ TIL the Taliban buy children as young as seven years old to act as suicide bombers, the price ranges from $7,000-$14,000.
X0DMD TIL about Wallace "Wally" Bowers. Struggling to support four kids and a wife dying of cancer, he picked up additional weekend work for a logging company. He was killed during the eruption of Mount St. Helens of May 1980. His wife died three months later from her illness.