› added 11 years ago

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TIL that Winston Churchill drew up plans for a surprise attack against the then-allied Soviet Union. Dubbed “Operation Unthinkable,” the plan would have rearmed up to 100,000 former Nazi soldiers and kicked off World War 3 almost before World War 2 had ended.

W7VM4 TIL there are ancient rock formations that show evidence of early life called Stromatolites. They are formed by mats of microbial life that collect sediment in layers. They have been dated back to 3.45 BYA, making those microbes some of the earliest life on Earth.
x9Gg TIL: Liberia was a founding member of the UN and a successful African nation…until 1980 when a USA-backed coup assassinated the President, and executed the entire government. Liberia collapsed into a civil war and never recovered.
YpxJG TIL of Christopher Thomas Knight, AKA the North Pond Hermit. He entered the woods of Maine at age 20 and lived without human contact for 27 years, committing roughly 40 robberies a year for supplies. The only time he spoke to another human was when he said "hi" to a passing hiker.
LkYld TIL the Conservatives in 1930 Germany first disliked Hitler. However, they even more dislike the left and because of Hitler's rising popularity and because they thought they could "tame" him, they made Hitler Chancelor in 1933.
W7enB TIL there’s a historic carriage house atop a factory in Syracuse, NY. It was updated but locals didn’t like the blue color so it was painted the original shade. Now, it’s a 128 unit affordable housing development