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TIL Japan shut itself off from the world (Sakoku) for over 200 years, only opening up after U.S. warships forced them in 1853

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PYMaJ TIL how the UK military recruiter mistook "cryptogamist" (algae expert) for "cryptogramist" and sent Geoffrey Tandy to join the code breakers; he wasn't so useful until captured German papers arrived water-logged; with his expertise they salvaged them, cracked the code, and hastened the victory.
WknX TIL in 1970 a disgruntled postgraduate student deliberately infected his roommates with Ascaris suum, a parasitic nematode. This was the first documented human infection by this species.
BlOe TIL Hippos have red sweat that is frequently mistaken for blood
VReD TIL a bass player for Iggy & The Stooges enlisted in the US army, he wanted to go to Vietnam due to the cheap heroin available there.
9YdvG TIL about the Antikythera mechanism, an Analogue Computer from 100 BC used to predict astronomical positions for calendars decades in advance.