this post was submitted on 07 Aug 2024
131 points (95.2% liked)

Today I Learned (TIL)

6590 readers
1 users here now

You learn something new every day; what did you learn today?

/c/til is a community for any true knowledge that you would like to share, regardless of topic or of source.

Share your knowledge and experience!

Rules

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 

TIL 18th Century Norwegian swashbuckler Peter Tordenskjold once ran out of ammo during a sea battle so he sent his enemy a letter thanking him for "a fine duel" and asking him to send more ammo so they could carry on. The two crews then toasted each other's health and went their separate ways.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] [email protected] 27 points 4 months ago

The most popular brand of matches in Denmark is called Tordenskjold. In the late 1800s, Sweden had a large export production of matches, so a Danish manufacturer put Tordenskiold's portrait on his matchbox in 1882, in the hope he could once more strike at the Swedish (Danish: give de svenske stryg).[13] The Tordenskjold brand was bought by a Swedish company in 1972.[14]

Ouch.