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TIL that the French held out at Fort Vaux against crushing German attacks for 3 days with no water. The commander sent requests for aid, the last one saying “This is my last pigeon”. The pigeon was awarded France’s highest military honour.

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MWRB TIL the Dr who popularised the idea of “Alpha” and “Beta” members of wolf packs has spent the rest of his career trying to convince everyone he was wrong.
rR19o TIL the present-day Washington State was originally called "Columbia", but Congress forced the name change to "Washington" in honor of George Washington and to avoid confusion with the nation's capital, the District of Columbia
W7Dd TIL certain acronyms such as KIGY (Klansman I greet you), AKIA (a Klansman I am) and AYAK (Are you a Klansman) allow Ku Klux Klan members to secretly affiliate with and identify other KKK members.
E1W9d TIL "Saudade" is the word for being nostalgic about past relationships that are hard to let go. It's the recollection of feelings/experiences/relationships/etc that brought happiness, but also the pain of separation from them. It acknowledges that longing for the past would detract from the future.
rN0do TIL the United States Army is the largest single employer of musicians in the country