› added 10 years ago

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TIL that “Third World” countries are not defined by their economy or development. Instead they are all the countries that were neither aligned with the US and its allies (first world) nor the USSR and its allies (second world) during the Cold War.

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4kO7a TIL: William R. King is the only U.S. Vice President to take the oath of office on foreign soil. King had tuberculosis and had traveled to Cuba to regain his health. Since he couldn't be in DC to take the oath, Congress passed an act that allowed him to be sworn in near Matanzas, Cuba.
9DwB TIL Blind people can get issued a guide horse. Miniature horses are used instead of guide dogs if the person is for example afraid of, or allergic to, dogs.
o68A TIL of Edward VIII who held the title of King of England for just 11 months. He abdicated the throne so that he could marry a woman the British government did not approve of as she had been divorced. They remained married until his death.
R5odw TIL Of the Filthy Thirteen, the paratroopers who were the basis for The Dirty Dozen and behaved just like them. On D-Day they jumped five miles behind the lines, blew up 2 German supply line bridges and held a 3rd bridge for 5 day until relieved. They were also pivotal in the Battle of the Bulge.
R70jj TIL that Josef Stalin was highly suspicious of doctors and had many Kremlin doctors arrested and tortured. So few doctors were available that after Stalin suffered a stroke, one imprisoned doctor claimed he was mid-interrogation when his captors suddenly started asking for medical advice instead.