› added 1 year ago

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TIL about the “Old Man of the Lake,” a 30-foot tall, 450 year old tree stump, most likely a hemlock, that has been bobbing vertically in Oregon's Crater Lake since at least 1896. Moving freely, it can be virtually anywhere on the lake, so boat captains commonly communicate its position for safety.

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N9G6 TIL that after WWII, the Soviet Union presented a wooden replica of the Great Seal of the United States to Ambassador Averell Harriman who hung it in his office. Seven years later, a routine inspection revealed the gift contained a bugging device the Soviets had used to spy on the ambassador.
ryGe TIL a man went over a year without food. When he started, he weighed over 450 pounds, and was about 180 when he finished. Doctors monitored him during this time, giving him supplements as needed.
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9ZmQ TIL that Martin Van Buren, the eighth president of the United States, was the first to be born a US citizen. All presidents prior were born British subjects.
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