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TIL George R.R. Martin’s idea for Game of Thrones began with his pet turtles. He said, “I decided they were all knights and kings…and I made up stories about how they killed each other and betrayed each other and fought for the kingdom. So, Game of Thrones, actually began with turtles.”

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J1DXV TIL Fender Guitars conducted research and discovered that 90% of beginners cease playing the guitar within a year. The remaining 10%, however, buy 5-7 guitars and multiple amps, spending an average of $10,000 on equipment throughout their lives.
e0JxD TIL that the mousetrap is the "most frequently invented device in American history". The American Patent and Trademark Office has issued a total 4400 mousetrap patents, and 400 applications are still made yearly. Only 20 of these inventions have been commercially successful.
VkjQ TIL that 49% of people with mental illness have no close relationships, while 13% have not been touched in at least a year. (The study was done by SANE Australia.)
4XxyJ TIL: among the feral animals in the Australian Outback are Peacocks. Feral Peafowl prey on snakes but are preyed upon by Dingo
P14JV TIL that the first footage of a real war was shot by Frederick Villiers during the Battle of Volos in 1897