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TIL: Confederate General Patrick Cleburne proposed recruiting slaves to fight for them and granting their freedom as a reward, arguing this would strengthen the confederacy. The idea was quickly shot down after facing strong opposition from other confederate leaders.

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OvaR TIL of the Burkitshi - nomadic hunters of Mongolia. They capture a golden eagle at the age of four, and train it to become a hunting partner. The Burkitshi live and sleep with the eagle for ten years, and then it is released back into the wilderness before death.
AO9n TIL The German city of Konstanz was not bombed by the Allied Forces during World War II, because the city left all its lights on at night, and thus fooled the bombers into thinking it was actually part of Switzerland.
VMw0Z TIL that in 1923, Frank Hayes became the first ever jockey to win a horse race despite being dead. He died from a heart attack mid-race but somehow his body stayed strapped onto the horse and he crossed the finish line in first place, beating 20-1 odds.
b454 TIL after waiting more than 24 hours for treatment in an NYC psychiatric hospital, a woman collapsed, convulsed, and died in the waiting room and remained there for an hour before anyone checked on her.
8eyPZ TIL during World War I, due to concerns the American public would reject a product with a German name, American sauerkraut (fermented cabbage) makers relabeled their product as "liberty cabbage" for the duration of the war.