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TIL That the majority of Purple Hearts issued to the US military over the last seventy five years were produced in 1945. In anticipation of high casualties for the unrealized invasion of Japan high production of the medal resulted in an end of war surplus of almost 500 000.

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omvL TIL in 1997 two composers tried to create the world’s most annoying song, featuring (in part) an operatic soprano rapping over cowboy music featuring bagpipes and tuba while children sing about holidays and advertise for Wal-Mart. (MP3 in comments)
b9lBQ TIL Kodak invented the first digital camera in 1975 and patented it in 1977, instead of marketing it they focused on their film business. Eventually their competitors who did market digital cameras drove them to bankruptcy.
991m TIL when a 16th century cathedral in Salamanca, Spain was renovated in the early 1990s, ornate stone carvings of an astronaut and a gargoyle eating ice cream were added near the entrance.
GYkvJ TIL Matrix's iconic green code isn't complicated algorithm but Japanese shushi recipes.
eban TIL The first Android phone ever released did not have a 3.5mm headphone jack. That was back in 2008.