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TIL the BBC created a Radio Soap Opera during WWII specifically for the American market. It was propaganda designed to get the USA to end its neutrality. One of the aims of the show was to appeal to those with a 'limited mentality'. It ended up being a popular radio show in the US.

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KYYwE TIL in the 1800s, the country now known as Vietnam asked the Qing dynasty to change their name to "Nam Việt". The dynasty said no, and changed their name to "Việt Nam" instead.
VMA40 TIL that when the United States bought Alaska from Russia, due to a combination of the International Date Line moving and switching to the Gregorian calendar, the days from October 8th through 17th in 1867 never occurred in Alaska.
VBYoZ TIL Unilever and Procter & Gamble have been fined $456M for fixing washing powder prices in 8 European countries in 2011. The fines were discounted by 10% after the 2 industry giants admitted running a cartel. Their rival Henkel, who provided the tip-off, was not fined in return.
wZKM TIL: In contrast to the Royal Navy, Royal Marines and Royal Air Force, the British Army does not include Royal in its title because, after a historic struggle between Parliament and monarchy, the British Army has always been answerable to Parliament and the British people rather than the Monarch
EgZvX TIL that as Governor of California, Ronald Reagan was not fiscally conservative. He increased spending by 9%, increased the sales tax from 3% to 5%, and increased taxes for the highest income bracket from 7% to 10%