› added 12 years ago

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TIL that a secret organisation founded by the NATO existed, which would stay behind and fight a guerillia war in the event of a soviet invasion and plotted terrorist attacks (Operation Gladio)

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KoGw TIL the first UPC ever scanned was a 10 pack Juicy Fruit in 1974.
QVoL TIL there is a mysterious expanding black goo called La Mancha Negra (the black stain) that covers parts of roads in Caracas, Venezuela. Millions of dollars have been spent researching it, yet the cause is still unknown. 1,800 people have died in auto accidents due to the goo.
r0bw TIL the New Jersey Forest Fire Service can summon any person aged 18 to 50 in their jurisdiction to help fight a wildfire or for use of their property in assisting, and it is a crime to refuse.
mx4aR TIL the Great Dismal Swamp (at the border of North Carolina and Virginia) held the largest "Maroon" colony (escaped slaves and their descendants) in the United States. Most managed to stay hidden despite militia invasions that aimed to capture them, and only left the swamp after the civil war.
Eg510 TIL that Clement Vallandigham was a lawyer who accidentally shot himself demonstrating how someone could accidentally shoot themself