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TIL in 1990, Americans were told Iraqi forces in Kuwait removed hundreds of babies from incubators and were thrown in the street or killed. The story was false and part of a PR firm’s contract to build up US public support for the invasion of Iraq. It was overwhelmingly successful.

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dDya9 TIL of Wojtek, a Syrian brown bear enlisted as a soldier in the Polish army during WW2. His service consisted of carrying large boxes of ammunition, boxes that would require four men to carry. The bear learnt his duties by mimicking the men on his unit; his efforts earning him the rank of corporal.
D15ar TIL That the Vatican actually has a national football team. Vatican's national football team has played against 7 international football teams, which they have either lost or tied with the other team. The team consists only by Swiss guards and museum guards.
o1Qr TIL that Chinese armed forces use crossbows at all unit levels to stop persons carrying explosives without risk of causing detonation.
a88Kb TIL that in 1995 when a lawsuit was brought against Shell Oil for the execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa and 8 men in Nigeria, Shell settled out of court for $15.5 million.
rQEe TIL that founding father and propagandist of the American Revolution Thomas Paine wrote a book called ‘The Age of Reason’ arguing against Christianity. He went from a revolutionary hero to reviled, 6 people attended his funeral and 100 years later Teddy Roosevelt called him a “filthy little atheist”