› added 4 years ago

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TIL The sun makes up 99.8 percent of the mass in the solar system.

Read more solarsystem.nasa.gov

via reddit.com

loGd1 TIL that on 18 October 1863, recently freed slaves and dispatched Union soldiers banded together to defend the town of Pine Bluff, Arkansas from marauding Confederates during the Battle of Pine Bluff.
rNOpw TIL the highest mountain in the Maldives rises to only 17 ft (5 m) above sea level. A local hotel once provided certificates for its guests who made the ascent.
gMdQy TIL that during World War II King George VI was at war with Germany as the King of the UK, but as King of Ireland he was also at peace with Germany and validated the credentials of German ambassadors. After WWII he was at war with himself as King of India and separately King of Pakistan.
j6GxM TIL about the Great British Dog and Cat Massacre of 1939. In which Londoners, to prepare for war with Nazi Germany, voluntarily killed over 400,000 of their home pets in a one month period so as to ease the strain on resources. The deaths were found to be mostly unnecessary.
w5OP TIL that Ben Franklin, after conceiving an illegitimate son, advocated sexual affairs with older women, claiming that “it is less sinful to have sex with an older woman than to debauch a virgin.”