› added 9 years ago

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TIL that during the Cuban Missile Crisis, the captain of a Russian sub, not knowing whether war had broken out, decided to launch a nuclear torpedo. Vasila Arkhipov, the second-in-command, didn’t consent and convinced the captain to surface, preventing nuclear war.

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BajW TIL Elvis Presley on finding out about his wife’s affair, forcefully had sex with her and said “This is how a real man makes love to his woman”
bodE TIL that NASA did not actually spend $12 billion on a Space Pen while the Russians used a pencil.
Brwgx TIL even though fierljeppen is one of the most famous sports in the Netherlands, fierljeppen is not known as much in other parts of the world.
R7gA4 TIL General Ferdinand Foch (Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in WWI) said of the Treaty of Versailles “This is not a peace treaty. This is an armistice for twenty years.” The Second World War began 20 years and 64 days later.
OGZKR TIL after teddy bears (named for Teddy Roosevelt) became popular, there was an attempt to market billy possums (named for William Taft). It was unsuccessful.