› added 12 years ago

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TIL - In 1964 the German government decided to back pay East African soliders (Askari) that had fought for them in WWI. Many had no proof of service so they had to perform the Manual of arms in German with a broom to prove themselves. Not one of them failed

xO67 TIL Anchorage, Alaska covers nearly 2,000 square miles, making it about the size of the state of Delaware.
NXMBE TIL the Rivergate Tower is a 454ft tall skyscraper with 32 floors and is the sixth tallest building in Tampa, Florida USA and one of the tallest limestone buildings in the world. It was designed by architect Harry Wolf who based its measurements on the Fibonacci Series.
nOwB TIL Nazi spies tried infiltrating Russia in WW2 using fake passports; the passports were recognized as fraud because Russian passports use iron staples that stain the pages with rust, while Nazis used steel. During the Cold War, American spies made the same mistake
a8Ex9 TIL: 12 years before taking their fans to court for sharing their music, Metallica released the "$5.98" EP, titled to stop their record label and music stores from overcharging fans - the record came with a sticker warning 'DO NOT PAY MORE!!!'—a direct jab at music industry markups
X0wVQ TIL Col. Shaw carried a famous sword into his final battle, depicted in the film Glory (1989). Thought to be stolen by a Confederate soldier after his death, it was actually retrieved by one of his black soldiers. The sword was kept in the Shaw family attic for over 150 years and is now at MASSHIST.