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TIL Soviet scientists defended the world’s largest seed bank during the 28 month Siege of Leningrad when it couldn’t be evacuated. 9 scientists starved, surrounded by tons of crops and fruit, refusing to destroy ‘the future of Russia’.

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VBBxm TIL Boris I Christianized Bulgaria and retired as a monk. When his son Vladimir attempted a pagan revival, Boris came out of retirement, blinded him, and had his other son Simeon made ruler instead. Boris returned to the monastery after threatening Simeon with the same fate if he betrayed the faith
ep4k6 TIL that the production team of "Elf" (2003) approached Macy’s to use their store for the film, but Macy’s declined as they didn’t like the idea that there was a fake Santa working in the store. Instead, the department store scenes were shot in the cafeteria of a mental hospital in Vancouver.
78axr TIL that the mascot of the city of Hidalgo, TX is a 10-foot high, 24-foot-long killer bee statue. It was erected in 1992 to commemorate Hidalgo as the first American city to be invaded by an aggressive strain of African bees that resulted in public panic. The bees were initially released in Brazil.
e0Gjg TIL that after the Danish Navy was destroyed by the British in the Napoleonic wars, the Danes responded by planting 90,000 oak trees toward the Navy’s rebirth. In 2007 the Defense Ministry was informed the trees were ready.
QNJvk TIL that the US military developed nuclear warheads meant to destroy other incoming nuclear warheads. The small 150 lbs warhead would send a neutron flux that would disable any other incoming warhead. Essentially, they would nuke their airspace to prevent another explosion a thousand times larger.