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TIL that the English language term "smoking" was coined in the late 18th century; before then the practice was known as "drinking smoke".

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lo9wa TIL: Before 1984 Australia's national Anthem was "God save the Queen"
Oong6 TIL the guns on the HMS Belfast, the battleship moored on the Thames, are aimed at a service station in North London
N78Ae TIL that water bottles can be an effective weapon, esp. for assault.
woAWJ TIL the Chicago Cubs have a following in Belize, because in the early 80's the only channel in the country was a pirate feed of WGN.
OGkMY TIL while touring the battlefield Abraham Lincoln mounted a parapet to see the battle in progress. A soldier taking cover right next to him saw Lincoln exposing himself at risk and said "Get down you damn fool!" The soldier was none other than future supreme court justice Oliver Wendell Holmes.