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TIL that German Gen. Erwin Rommel earned mutual respect with the Allies in WWII from his genius and humane tactics. He refused to kill Jewish prisoners, paid POWs for their labor, punished troops for killing civilians, fought alongside his troops, and even plotted to remove Hitler from power.

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9GNG TIL As a male Swiss citizen, Roger Federer was compulsorily required to serve in the armed forces. However, in 2003, despite already having become a tennis pro, he was deemed ‘unfit’ because of a back problem, and was relieved of his obligations.
9YPgQ TIL of the "World's Littlest Skyscraper", a building built in 1919 by a man who accepted $200,000 (in the 1910s) for it's construction, neglecting to point out to investors that the listed height of 480 was in inches, not feet.
5drr TIL that during his trial in Florida, Ted Bundy became legally married using an obscure law that any marriage declaration in court, in the presence of a judge, constituted a legal marriage.
J1X44 TIL that Britt Allcroft, the producer behind "Thomas and Friends", was so passionate about adapting the book series to television that she mortgaged her house to help bankroll the show.
OGjA7 TIL about Saint Marina the Monk, a 6th century woman who disguised herself as a male Monk to avoid marriage. Another woman falsely claimed her child belonged to Marina, believing she was a man, but Marina raised the child anyway. The truth of her real gender wasn't discovered until her death.