› added 9 years ago

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TIL Benjamin Franklin designed one of the first U.S. coins and instead of “In God We Trust” it said “Mind Your Business”

ERlX TIL the name ‘Tank’ for armoured vehicles originated as a code word describing the vehicles as water carriers (or water tanks), to confuse enemy spies and keep their creation hidden. Water carries wasn’t used as this would have been abbreviated to W.C, another name for toilets.
wLQ81 TIL in 1749 a stage show was advertised a where a man would squeeze his body into a wine bottle. It was a bet between the Duke of Portland and the Earl of Chesterfield that they could advertise something impossible and get fools to pay for it. The sold out theatre rioted when no performer showed up.
R5g1j TIL that in 1987 Nevada created an unpopulated county, Bullfrog County, to try to dissuade the US government from building a nuclear waste site there. Taxes were set as high as possible and all officials were appointed by the Nevada government.
PYk4G TIL that Throughout the 1950s to the 1970s, the CIA operated a passenger airline company called Air America, which was responsible for allowing the US military access to places in Southeast Asia the Geneva Convention had banned the military from.
jNlYM TIL that the Highest Ranking UN POW captured in the Korean War was US General William F. Dean. The N. Korean advance in 1950 was so rapid, it caught up Dean's HQ, forcing him to participate in the fighting. The general personally fought as tank-hunter & knocked out a few tanks before being captured.