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TIL Before federal wiretapping caught Eliot Spitzer in a prostitution scandal in early 2008, he had nearly exposed the lending practices that led to the 2008 financial crisis when he was Attorney General of New York. He was also known as the “sheriff of Wall Street” at the time.

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rKrd TIL Japan and the Soviet Union fought a major battle in Mongolia in 1939. The Japanese defeat convinced them to maintain a truce with the USSR during most of WW2
7rx1Z TIL of Operation Wikinger, where in February of 1940, because of poor communication between the German Kreigsmarine and the Luftwaffe, there was an intense fight between them, resulting in the loss of 578 German sailors and 2 destroyers despite there being no Allied forces anywhere near the battle
maAv TIL In 1953 North Korean air force lieutenant No Kum-Sok (age 21) flew his MiG-15 to the South. Since this fighter plane was then the best the Communist bloc had, No’s defection was considered an intelligence bonanza, and he was awarded the then exorbitant sum of $100,000 ($890,831 in 2014 dollars).
OoER7 TIL Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins later turned to professional wrestling, where he smashed an opponent over the head with a real guitar.
LkOXv TIL when Spielberg showed John Williams the a cut of ‘Schindler’s List,’ the composer became so moved that he could barely speak and had to step out for a few minutes. When he returned, he told Spielberg the film deserved a better composer to which Spielberg replied, “I know, but they’re all dead.”