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Those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it, so the saying goes, so one would think our history classes would be a lot more interesting and vital. Alas, that’s rarely the case. Fortunately, the internet finds a solution to everything. 

The “Weird History” Twitter account gathers trivia, fun facts, and interesting images from the past in an attempt to make the entirety of human existence more digestible to the average person. So “scroll” through and upvote whatever surprised you and add your own historical fun facts in the comments section. 

More info: Twitter

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    #2

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    David
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    BAD - 700 years ago some folks thought women should not be educated. WORSE: 700 years later some people STILL think that.

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    The world is such a big place that everyday things are happening, making it almost impossible for anyone to keep track. Not to mention, humans have wild imaginations, so we constantly concoct and invent scenarios in our heads. A regular topic of discussion for history aficionados is the question of “What if?” This can really be applied to any well-known event, but it can be even more interesting to look at something less known.

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    For example, when the modern state of Israel was formed, Albert Einstein was offered its presidency. It’s unclear if his physics abilities would have translated to a political career in any meaningful way, but the spectacle would have been interesting. However, as you can probably already guess, he declined the offer. 

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    CT
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Back to USA. In New York City, Owens was invited to a reception in his honor at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, but hotel policy prohibited him from using the front door. Jesse Owens was also denied the opportunity to visit President Franklin D. Roosevelt at the White House, though his white teammates were invited.

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    #5

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    Take me to dinner first
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    How does the US become the topic of every post? Can we just appreciate Finland for a second?

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    One of the better links to the past that we still observe regularly are the Olympic games. Obviously, they are quite different from the ancient games, as we include a lot more events, we don’t hold them exclusively in Greece and the participants aren’t naked. But even the modern games do change more often than we think. In the 1920s, for example, tug of war was a legitimate event where national teams competed to pull a rope. 

    #7

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    Jihana
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Never even heard of her, but I'm an instant fan!

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    #8

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    #9

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    Caro Caro
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    FYI: This monument honors the legendary 369th Infantry Regiment, known as the Harlem Hellfighters. The black granite obelisk is a replica of a 1997 memorial that stands at Sechault in Northern France, where the 369th soldiers distinguished themselves during World War I. https://www.nycgovparks.org/

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    Reportedly, Britain did quite well, with its team often consisting of London City police. In the years where tug of war featured, they won two gold and one silver medals. How exactly being a police officer made you better at pulling a rope is unclear, but the results speak for themselves. These days new events are being added as the sports and activities of the world change and adapt to modern demands. 

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    While it makes sense when we think about it for a moment, often it’s easy to forget that almost everything we see and do has links to the past. Take, for example, ketchup. Originally, it was made with mushrooms and looked, tasted, and smelled a lot different from the tomato-based condiment we find everywhere today. We are all probably familiar with the concept of comfort eating, but originally, it was also used as medicine

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    And it’s not just simple condiments that have a lot more behind them than it would seem at first glance, the Easter Island heads are a good example. First, it’s wrong to call them just heads, these monolithic statues have bodies that extend deep into the ground. And there aren’t just a handful of them in one spot, there are, in total, 887 of them across the island. Each weighs approximately twelve tons or over 28’000 pounds, raising questions about how and why the locals decided on this particular item of decor. 

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    #16

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    Geoffrey Scott
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I'm sure he would have made an adequate President.

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    Speaking of ancient statues, if you were like me, you had an obsession with ancient Egypt as a child. But have you ever noticed that many statues from that time period are missing their noses? The precise answer is unclear, as time and erosion could have specifically targeted this part. However, it could be a result of human intervention. Statues represented rulers and dynasties, if one had usurped power, which would happen often enough at the time, it would make sense to diminish the influence of your opponent. But this one may just remain a mystery, unfortunately. If you want to read more interesting historical facts, check out Bored Panda’s other articles here, here, and here

    #19

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    #20

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    MommaBear
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Who knew Lincoln and Kosmo Kramer were related?!?

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    #21

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    #22

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    Ty Stratton-Quirk
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    And Carrie Fisher, overflowing with personality and humor, as always.

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    #25

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    Neville Nicol
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Who knew that Dragons could even use axes 3000 years ago?

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    #26

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    Amsterdude
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Luckily the entire planet will be by then!

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    #28

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    Noname
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    So... if Adams was busy and his dog wanted to play, did Adams say, "not today, Satan!"?

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    #29

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    Ingo Sauer
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Eerie how color shrinks the perceived time gap between then and now, compared to monochrome photos

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    #30

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    Stardust she/her
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    It’s known as Ram Setu and according to the Ramayana (a holy book in Hinduism), Sri Ram along with the help of Hanuman and several monkeys created it by dropping rocks on the ocean and walking across it so that they could reach Lanka and save Sita from Ravaan. (I don’t think this is true but still felt like sharing)

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    #31

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    Take me to dinner first
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I feel like the ancient greeks would totally get along with us lol

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    #32

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    David
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    that cover kind of takes me back to my school days before computers/printers where you would spend extra time drawing your report cover to try to make it look nice.

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    #33

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    Amsterdude
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    His brother had a famous bakery called Bread Pitt

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    #35

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    Billy Harrelson
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The first one he wrote because people only saw him as Spock and he didn't want to be typecast. Later he embraced Spock and wrote the latter.

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    #36

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    Rachknits
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I don't think that was a long lingering kinda death

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    #37

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    The happy frog
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    In all honesty I’d be more frightened to see a large baboon chasing me then a dog, have you seen the teeth on those things? Brrrrrrr

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    #38

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    #39

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    Ambitious Potato
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Well yeah who looks at a random liquid and goes 'hmm you try it'

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    #41

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    Jihana
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    You're all thinking it, I'm gonna say it: Snowpiercer!

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    #42

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    EmbersAreOut
    Community Member
    2 years ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    That looks so badäśś. oh my goodness.

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    #43

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    Mørkesverd
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    It's better to watch your flocks than to wash your socks.

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    #44

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    #46

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    Clearly sunny
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Okay family, start taking notes! I want......

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    #47

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    deejak
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Doesn't seem like an effective tool for that purpose.

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    #48

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    David
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Was he also going neckless or was he recently neutered? I'm so glad I did not live in a time when I had to wear those ridiculous neck collar things. Though I suppose the commoners likely didn't wear them.

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    #52

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    #53

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    #56

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    Liv
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I wouldn’t really consider it a good thing tho. Those bastards always shįt on cars

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    #58

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    The Scout
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    If not run by islamic fanatics, Iran would certainly make a very nice tourist destination. It has beautiful architecture, breathtaking landscapes and quite delicious food.

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    #59

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    David H
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    lot of Jews fought in WW1 in the Germany army, many who were killed in WW2. WHen the Nazis began to round up Jews many would put their medals, or even fit into their old uniforms, which is why so many pictures show jews in ww1 uniforms with medals being dragged off by Nazi. It didn't save them though. 100,000 Jews fought in t he German army in ww1 (only 500k total Jews, men, women, and children in 1914 in Germany), 37,000 awarded Iron Crosses for valor in combat, and thousands died. And just 2 decades later they would be stripped of all rights

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    #60

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    #61

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    Liv
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    That actually looks quite convincing

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    #63

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    Goth Nurse
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    4 166 meters (about 4,2 kilometers) for the rest of the world

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    #64

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    Lotus Flower in Space 🪷‍
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Brilliant US Founding Father who also wrote a book on farting. Versatile.

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    #65

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    SCamp
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I wear one of these to bed each night for sleep apnea

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    #66

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    Nancy Reynolds
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Not really handed over, he sold it to the US for 15 million dollars. What a bargain.

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    #67

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    #68

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    David
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    If they were going to make up c**p about bicycles I would have expected it to be something about the seat turning them into street whores or some such. Bulging eyes and jutting chins is even more ridiculous.

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    #69

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    Ingo Sauer
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    "Please not a bag of toddlers again..." (from a different BP thread apparently)

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    #70

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    Csaba Hegedűs
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    FDR means Franklin Roosevelt, a president of the US at the time.

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    #71

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    Joeshar
    Community Member
    2 years ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Thanks to Soviets for sharing its technology

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    #72

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    #73

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    Leigh
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Actually they found there was a tribe of female warriors on the Russian steppes. Not a myth!

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    #75

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    #76

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    Thegoodboi
    Community Member
    Premium
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The guy next in line's face lol "😑"

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    #77

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    deejak
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Freud and pricks just go together.

    #78

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    The Scout
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The air forces seem to have had a strange respect for each other in both world wars. Maybe it was because flying was still regarded as a daring task. When World War I pilot Manfred von Richthofen was shot down in 1918, the British buried him with full military honors. They even sent a plane to their base to inform them of his death. These curtesies were not that common in WW II, but seeing they resspectfully adressed the unknown enemy with his rank, that mindset seems to have persisted.

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    #79

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    #80

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    Ty Stratton-Quirk
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    "My mother-in-law is at her church Bingo party; if we angle the tree this way, it should land just outside her front door."

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    #81

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    #85

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    Nakus
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Me trying to build Ikea furniture

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    #86

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    Telepathetic
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Indy Jones would have shot him while preoccupied with juggling

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    #87

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    #88

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    Jennik
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Hence the old slang term "rattle the bones" for having a game of dice

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    #89

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    Hugh Cookson
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I've stayed there in a cave Hotel and it is an astonishing place to walk around - the surrounding countryside is very beautiful with very welcoming people too.

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    #90

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    David
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Star Wars is better. Shorter and clearer. Adventures of a Star Killer sounds like it might be a serial murderer in space. Or an assassin. Or a person who kills stars.

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    #91

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    Pedantic Panda
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    "There are good reasons to go to war but nothing good happens in war". Alas, forget who said this.

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    #92

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    Jihana
    Community Member
    2 years ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Ok... But what does Denari mean?

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    #93

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    Zoni J.
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    It can't be that deep if it's just off a pier.

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    #94

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    The Scout
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    So let us hope that they do not have to re-learn those tactics soon...

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    #96

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    David Wambold
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Later run by the Medici family they are recognized as some of the richest people in history. A large part of their wealth came from the Catholic Church (they would help collect church donations and take a cut). Eventually they got their own popes elected who were known for their excessive spending and debauchery- which helped lead to the protestant reformation.

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    #97

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    oktopus
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Must have taken a long time to ride those camels all the way from New Zealand.

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    #98

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    Xray0976
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    That's FDR, future American President....

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    #100

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    Ace
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Or Norse religion and Christian mythology, depending on your viewpoint.

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    #102

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    Csaba Hegedűs
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Another dark moment of history the US doesn't like to talk about. They are always heroes.

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    #104

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    T'Mar of Vulcan
    Community Member
    2 years ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    So, people blew up parts of a sacred site to carve the faces of people who had subjugated those to whom the hills were sacred. (Fixed that for ya.)

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    #105

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    David
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    that looks so awkward and impractical.

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    #106

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    #107

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    UltimateSwiftie
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    i like it! although could make it easier for jan. 6th rioters to get in. nevermind

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    #108

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    #109

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    User# 6
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I think that's an autogyro, not a helicopter /pedantry

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    #111

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    Beth H
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    If Gladiator taught us anything, he wasn't a nice guy

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    #114

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    oktopus
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Narrator: "for a few more decades, many of those areas remained unharmed".

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    #115

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    #116

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    The Chronic Insomniac
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The persistance and strength of the human spirit right here in a single photo. Sitting in a literal war zone, they find a way to share a bit of cheer amongst themselves.

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    #118

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    Persephone
    Community Member
    2 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    *Russian accent* "In Russia, this is bath water!"

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