› added 10 months ago

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TIL: Thomas Ward Custer is the first man to receive the Medal of Honor twice, but the only reason he is forgotten is because of his older brother.

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rRP71 TIL that US Navy Captain Mad Jack Percival holds the unique distinction that his first naval ship, HMS Victory, and his last, USS Constitution, still exist as the oldest commissioned warships and national shrines for their respective nations.
6EBoJ TIL that in Nazi Germany, the founders of Adidas and Puma (The Dassler brothers) secretly gave Jesse Owens a pair of track shoes that helped him win 4 gold medals for the Americans in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. This gift is said to have spared their factory from destruction from Allied forces.
m18Qv TIL 720 fire-fighting men and women were killed in the line of duty during WW2 in England and Wales
7885x TIL Chiclets get their name from the Chicle tree, this trees sap being a prehistoric form of chewing gum.
V0Bk TIL the first Twinkies were made with banana filling and only lasted two days. A banana shortage and expensive replenishment logistics led to a change in the recipe.