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TIL during the Napoleanic War a French vessel wrecked off the coast of Hartlepool killing all the crew except for one monkey dressed in a military uniform. The people of Hartlepool having never seen a Frenchman or a monkey before held an impromptu trial for the monkey and sentenced it to death.

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Ooew4 TIL that the longest war in recorded history lasted 335 years and 19 days. It was between the Dutch and the Isles of Scilly, there were no casualties, and the Dutch actually forgot about the conflict until a Scilly historian contacted them about it in 1985. A treaty was signed between them in 1986.
P5Yn TIL: Margaret Anne Cargill was a philanthropist born into one of the wealthiest families in the world. She gave away more than $200M during her life, always anonymously, and provided that after her death all her wealth go to charity. In 2011 her assets were liquidated, resulting in a $6B donation.
gr5gy TIL the first established patent system was the Venetian Patent Statute of 1474, being the earliest codified patent system in the world, with its principles still being the basic foundation of modern patent law
LkKa0 TIL during the early years of the Tour de France, guzzling alarming amounts of alcohol was the norm. Beer, wine, and brandy were considered safer to drink than water from questionable roadside wells or springs, and cyclists drank copiously.
epkrL TIL Salamanders retract their eye balls into their mouth cavities to help them swallow their food.