› added 4 years ago

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TIL one species of freshwater turtle has actual flippers like a sea turtle. Called the pig-nosed turtle, it lives in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Australia. Extremely aggressive, little studied and difficult to keep in captivity, it is rarely seen in aquariums.

ep4Mn TIL that on April 29, 1945, one day before his death, Hitler had doubts about the cyanide capsules he had received. To verify the capsules' potency, Hitler ordered Dr. Werner Haase to test one on Blondi, Hitler's dog, who died as a result.
awOlA TIL that the reason that pubs in England have such weird names goes back to medieval times, when most people were illiterate, but could recognize symbols. This is why they have names like Boot and Castle, or Fox and Hound.
x6LVk TIL in the '40s theatrical producer John Reber promoted a plan to build two dams to change most of San Francisco Bay into two freshwater lakes. He got a lot of support, but the US Army Corps of Engineers built a giant working model of the bay to show how this plan was a terrible idea
rRr6d TIL that after Albania became independent in 1912, the candidates for Prince of Albania were a Hungarian baron, an Italian marquess, a Romanian nobleman, and a Spanish diplomat. In the end, they chose a German prince.
wxdM TIL Teddy Roosevelt made a 2 hour speech shortly after an attempted assassination. He correctly concluded that since he was not coughing blood, the bullet had not completely penetrated the chest wall to his lung. He declined going to the hospital immediately.