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138

TIL the word “quintessential” is actually Latin for ‘the fifth element"

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8a5D4 TIL parts of New York City are built on the ruins of English cathedrals
wL6wM TIL that the character "G-Man" from the Half Life video game series is inspired by the stereotypical features of an FBI agent and that the term "G-man" was a common slang term for an FBI agent meaning 'Government man'.
xpY0 TIL that a Flettner Airplane flies without wings: instead, it has cylinders that spin which, using the same physics as throwing a curveball, “curves” the vehicle upwards into the air!
5YZr8 TIL of Alfred Nourney, a German man and social climber who purchased an expensive wardrobe and booked a 1st class ticket on Titanic pretending to be “Baron Alfred von Drachstedt.” Because of the sinking, his ruse was revealed and is what he is best remembered for.
69g9Q TIL that the CIA used psychological warfare against Philippine resistance forces in the 1950s by taking advantage of mythical 'Aswang' (vampire-like in Filipino folklore) against the people by puncturing holes on the necks of dead bodies resembling aswang bites & piling them on the sides of roads.