› added 1 year ago

53

TIL of the Civil Cooperation Bureau, a government death squad in Apartheid South Africa. Accused of murders, they also bombed a kindergarten, harassed a dissident by pointing a RPG7 at him while forcing him to drink moonshine, and tried to bewitch Desmond Tutu by hanging a baboon fetus in his home.

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

kOAZe TIL that only 13% of Americans eat enough vegetables, while 71% eat excessive amounts of saturated fat.
78GZM TIL Singer, the sewing machine manufacturer, also made military aircraft navigation and targeting equipment, plus 1911A1 handguns
kOYrd TIL M&M's were created in 1941 to provide the military with chocolate that didn't melt. During WW2 M&M's were exclusively sold to the military.
OGGa6 TIL that Indonesia has a cultural stereotype where street vendors selling meatballs are presumed to be undercover cops.
9wxKB TIL: The Challenger mission in 1986, which exploded live on TV and killed everyone on board, originally planned to have Big Bird as a passenger instead of a civilian teacher.