› added 4 years ago

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TIL that Anson Burlingame, USA's ambassador to Qing Empire China in the 1860's, grew to be so trusted and respected for his efforts to negotiate a fair treaty, that China then appointed him to be THEIR envoy back to America and to European countries, negotiating on their behalf.

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via reddit.com

b9JWj TIL A needlegun is a firearm that fires small, sometimes fin-stabilized, metal darts or flechettes. Theoretically, the advantages of a needlegun over conventional projectile firearms are in its compact size, high rate of fire, and extreme muzzle velocity.
XEXVQ TIL in September 1940, British pilot Ray Holmes saved Buckingham Palace from being hit by German bombing, when he used his Hawker Hurricane to destroy a Dornier Do 17 bomber over London by ramming but at the loss of his own aircraft (and almost his own life)
Zpe5B TIL that embryos can be frozen for decades before being successfully born!
78mRx TIL about Delusional parasitosis, sometimes referred to as phantom infestation, is a psychological disorder in which an individual mistakenly believes their body is overrun by living or inanimate entities. Typical examples of these perceived invaders include bugs, worms, or microbes.
X00Rj TIL that when Yoshitaro Shibasaki and his team completed their 1907 ascent of Mount Tsurugi — thought to be the final unclimbed mountain remaining in the Japanese archipelago — they found an ancient sword at the summit that was later determined to have been left there more than 1000 years earlier.