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TIL that Homer’s Iliad ends with Hector’s funeral. This means that the Trojan Horse and Achilles’ death aren’t from the Iliad.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iliad
https://redd.it/1fp7hru
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TIL Switzerland has accidentally invaded neighboring Liechtenstein several times. On one such occasion, the Liechtensteiners reportedly offered drinks to the Swiss soldiers, who declined and quickly departed.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liechtenstein%E2%80%93Switzerland_relations#Incidents_involving_the_Swiss_military
https://redd.it/1fp5cb8
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TIL that 18th century British churches employed "sluggard wakers" to whack the heads of parishioners who fell asleep during the service
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sluggard_waker
https://redd.it/1foahs4
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TIL That L Ron Hubbards Grandson is a renowned Slam Poet and activist against Scientology.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamie_DeWolf
https://redd.it/1foprye
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TIL that since 2002, the Navajo Nation has imposed a moratorium on genetic research and use of Tribal members' DNA in genetic studies due to ethical concerns about what the data was being used for and Tribal sovereignty.
https://www.history.com/news/why-the-navajo-nation-banned-genetic-research
https://redd.it/1foetdl
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TIL that in Japan, only 100% fruit juice can display a realistic cut fruit on the label, 95% may display a whole but unsliced fruit. 5% or less, it is forbidden to display a realistic fruit on the label
https://blog.kano.ac/2015/07/22/juice-s-label/
https://redd.it/1focmba
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TIL In 2019 a Japanese University student studying ninja history turned in an essay written in invisible ink. The words only became visible when the paper was heated over a gas stove. Her professor without even revealing the whole essay gave her an A.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-49996166
https://redd.it/1fon9ja
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TIL: About a Western European tradition called ‘Telling the bees’ in which bees are told of important events, including deaths, births, marriages and departures and returns in the keeper's household.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telling_the_bees
https://redd.it/1fidygb
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TIL that Aaron Bank, who founded US Army Special Forces, was a real life Inglorious Basterd tasked with killing or capturing Hitler. His mission was only canceled because of how rapidly the war came to an end in Berlin.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaron_Bank
https://redd.it/1fidhpm
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TIL Montgomery's memoirs criticised many of his wartime comrades harshly, including Eisenhower. After publishing it, he had to apologize in a radio broadcast to avoid a lawsuit. He was also stripped of his honorary citizenship of Alabama, and was challenged to a duel by an Italian lawyer.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_Montgomery#Memoirs
https://redd.it/1fia8a0
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TIL that Henryk Siwiak was killed on a street of Brooklyn shortly before midnight. He is the only victim on the list of murders in New York on September 11, 2001, since the city does not include the deaths from the 9/11 attacks in its official crime statistics. His murder has never been solved.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing_of_Henryk_Siwiak?wprov=sfla1
https://redd.it/1fi6oci
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TIL a locket containing a picture of Mother Teresa allegedly healed an Indian woman's abdominal tumor. The Vatican deemed it a miracle worthy of canonization, while doctors argued that the cancer was cured by conventional medicine.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother_Teresa#Canonization
https://redd.it/1fifggm
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TIL that between August 1960 and April 1961, the CIA, with the help of the Mafia, pursued a series of plots to poison or shoot Fidel Castro.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Mafia
https://redd.it/1fhoagb
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TIL that airplane emergency exit doors are impossible to open mid flight, because due to pressure, it would take 24,000 pounds of force to open the door.
https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/is-it-possible-to-open-an-airplanes-emergency-exit-door-mid-flight/
https://redd.it/1fh6tl3
@r_til
TIL: Chedipe is a vulgar, undressed, Indian witch vampire who rides on a tiger at night, casts a spell to enter your home, and then sucks men's blood through their toes. Sometimes, if the man is married, she sleeps with him in order to cause marital strife as she feeds off pain and sadness.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chedipe
https://redd.it/1fhjiuq
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TIL that Winston Churchill was prescribed ‘Indefinite’ quantities of alcohol during prohibition
https://www.historynet.com/a-doctors-note-for-booze-winston-churchill-prescribed-indefinite-quantities-of-alcohol-during-prohibition/
https://redd.it/1fpd219
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TIL After cancelling the show Jericho (2007) after 1 season, upset fans sent over 20 tons of nuts to CBS studios in NYC and ended up getting a partial second season
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jericho_(2006_TV_series)
https://redd.it/1foc8wy
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TIL in 2002 a student crashed a Cessna into a building, taking inspiration from 9/11
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002_Tampa_Cessna_172_crash
https://redd.it/1fojjn8
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TIL that the first Sony Walkman had two headphone jacks so you could share it with someone else as they thought it would be considered rude to listen by yourself. This feature was removed as no one used it
https://designmuseum.org/discover-design/all-design-objects/sony-walkman
https://redd.it/1foo2ax
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TIL I learned that the first person to earn a PHD in computer science in the United States was a religious sister.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Kenneth_Keller
https://redd.it/1folgf0
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TIL George Washington was unusually tall (6'2") and quite strong, and never wore a powdered wig.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington#Personal_life
https://redd.it/1foclnp
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TIL the first recorded strike in history happened in 1158BC in Ancient Egypt, the strikers demanded wheat rations, which was granted after a march to the office of the Vizier.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deir_el-Medina_strikes
https://redd.it/1fi158g
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TIL when you're stretching your body releases endorphins, that's why it feels so good.
https://www.sciencefocus.com/the-human-body/why-does-stretching-feel-so-good
https://redd.it/1fi3n15
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TIL that there's a semi-aquatic wolf subspecies which has been documented swimming over seven miles between islands off the coast of Canada.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vancouver_Coastal_Sea_wolf
https://redd.it/1fi8ogz
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TIL a Mississippi driver's license does not require a driving test just a written exam.
https://www.mississippifirst.org/blog/2024-senate-bill-2695/#:~:text=First%2Dtime%20driver's%20license%20applicants%20must%20pass%20a%20written%20knowledge,not%20been%20required%20since%202020).
https://redd.it/1fif2mb
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TIL Tossing Puffin Chicks off of a cliff in Iceland is vital to the survival of the species
https://www.npr.org/2022/09/26/1124759293/puffling-season-iceland
https://redd.it/1fi8yht
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TIL China Produces More Steel than the Rest of the World Combined
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_steel_production
https://redd.it/1fh88xa
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TIL "The rabbit died" used to be a common euphemism for a positive pregnancy test
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbit_test
https://redd.it/1fh5ocx
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TIL the fastest spinning celestial object in the universe is a Neutron star called PSR J1748-2446. It rotates 716 times every second and it's equator moves at about 25% the speed of light. It is also has a magnetic field a trillion times stronger than the Sun’s.
https://www.astronomy.com/science/weird-object-neutron-star-psr-j1748-2446/
https://redd.it/1fhm07w
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TIL that Frances Perkins was the first female cabinet member in U.S. history. She was appointed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt as the Secretary of Labor in 1933. Her appointment was a significant milestone for women in government and she played a crucial role in shaping New Deal policies.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frances_Perkins
https://redd.it/1fhf3cj
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