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TIL that alcohol consumption in the U.S. was almost 300% higher in the 1800s, and that whiskey at the time was cheaper than beer, coffee or milk.

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WkoOX TIL that, in 2005, Nepal Airlines sacrificed two goats in front of their two malfunctioning Boeing airplanes to appease Akash Bhairab, the Hindu sky god. According to a spokesperson, the snag was fixed and the aircraft could resume their flights.
yVeEa TIL the Roman Army used decimation as a form of punishment. Decimation is when a unit of soldiers would be selected for punishment, and one in ten soldiers would be randomly executed as a lesson to the rest of the unit. It was used to maintain discipline of soldiers.
W1K4 TIL that US military suicides surpassed combat deaths in 2012
6W7J TIL the English invented the myth that carrots make you see better as propaganda during WWII to help conceal their nighttime vision secret weapon (radar)
0Eyp TIL Navy SEALs began as a Naval Combat Demolition Unit eliminating obstacles on enemy-held beaches at Normandy prior to invasion. The NCDUs at Omaha Beach blew 8 complete gaps and 2 partial gaps in the German defenses by clearing 700 yds of beach in 2 hours, another 900 yds by the afternoon.