› added 12 years ago

95

TIL that USMC Maj. Gen. Smedley Butler, recipient of 16 medals (five for heroism), wrote a booklet called “War is a Racket” detailing the conspiratorial nature of the US military and war-profiteers

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via reddit.com

16pgW TIL about the Hessdalen lights: These are unexplained lights that have been observed in the Hessdalen valley in Norway since the 1940s. The lights appear as floating orbs and have been witnessed by thousands of people over the years.
9Y0wm TIL In 1936 BBC broadcasted television using a mechanical spinning disc transmitter and display with a peak resolution of 240 lines. The mechanical system did not scan the televised scene directly, instead a 17.5 mm film was shot, rapidly developed and then scanned while the film was still wet.
N79NN TIL in January 2018, China implemented its "National Sword" policy, which banned the import of materials for recycling within China. Prior to China’s ban, 95 percent of the plastics collected for recycling in the European Union and 70 percent in the US were sold and shipped to Chinese processors.
yQl6w TIL in Italy, blasphemous profanity is considered especially taboo, with some considering blaspheming vulgar whilst finding casual swears relatively acceptable.
XpO8 TIL: Israel’s history of selling USA’s secrets to China goes back to the 1980’s. China acquired advanced military tech & weapons from Israel then re-exported to Pakistan, Iran, etc. Also, Israeli military companies opened offices in China for sales. CIA said profit was “several billion dollars.”