› added 7 years ago

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TIL that during the Austro-Prussian War, Liechtenstein had an army of 80 men. During the conflict no men were injured or killed and they returned home with 81 men because they’d made an Italian friend along the way. The army was then disbanded and Liechtenstein hasn’t had a military since.

gN58 TIL of the deadliest volcanic eruption in history: the effects of the Icelandic volcano Laki killed 25% of the Icelandic population, at least 23,000 people in Britain, more deaths in Europe, freak weather for a year, and may have caused a famine in Egypt which killed 1/6th of Egypt’s population.
a8LDM TIL of Mexican General Jose De Urrea. Urrea was undefeated, having a victory over every Texas opponent, he encountered during the Texas Revolution. However, his successes were seen as overshadowing his superiors and they took over from him, to disastrous effect.
kJege TIL about the Toronto Circus Riot of 1855 - a group of clowns got into a fight with a group of firefighters at a brothel, which led to a massive riot. The end result was large scale police reform in Toronto.
Wkxwo TIL that the US president's Cadillac One (aka The Beast) is equipped with 8 inch thick bulletproof doors, an oxygen system, a night-vision camera, tear-gas bombs, a shotgun, and pints of the president’s blood type.
69Rjl TIL that the character of Ned Flanders from The Simpsons was named after a street in Portland, Oregon. Series creator Matt Groening, who is from Portland, often draws inspiration from his hometown for character names.