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TIL: During the Thirty Years' War, Count Von Tilly of the imperial army declared that if anyone in Rothenburg ob der Tauber could drink a tank of wine (3.25 liters) in one go, he would spare the town and move on. The mayor of the town obliged, prompting the army to leave.

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GxpN TIL in the Marvel Universe, Steven Colbert was a front runner in the 2008 presidential election, and even won the popular vote.
WkAkd TIL that, while McDonald's is famous for the Happy Meal, Burger Chef (opened in 1958 by Donald & Frank Thomas, who used McDonald's as their inspiration) was the fast-food chain that pioneered the kids' meal concept. First sold in 1973, their "Fun Meal" bundled burgers with a dessert and toy.
epKjJ TIL during a backlash against relaxed 1960s attitudes to drugs and weed smoking backpackers on the hippie trail in Asia, anyone with sufficiently suspect attributes would have the letters SHIT (“suspected hippie in transit”) stamped in their passports in Malaysia before being deported.
rNDXy TIL that the 1969 Woodstock festival was not held in Woodstock. The promoters kept the Woodstock name despite the town rejecting their idea for a festival there.
ODeg TIL Major banks like UBS, HSBC, and Barclays have been submitting phony numbers, often in concert with each other for years. Together they manipulated world markets, specifically the Libor rate, which controls interest rates worldwide, causing trillions in damage. No banker will spend a day in jail.