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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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e0pR4 TIL that Necco Wafers, Sweethearts valentine's hearts, Clark Bars, Candy Buttons and Mary Janes are all made by the same company. Necco Wafers were created by America's first candy machine in 1847 and the formula has largely remained unchanged.
YperP TIL that astronauts in orbit are not weightless because they escaped the Earth's gravity, but because they are in free-fall. The ISS at 400KM altitude still experiences around 90% of the Earth's gravity.
v15g4 TIL that the EV charging standard "CHAdeMO" is named after the Japanese phrase "O cha demo ikaga desuka," which translates to "How about a cup of tea," alluding that an EV can be charged using the standard in the time it takes to have a cup of tea.
QNL69 TIL: In 1562, Spanish bishop Diego de Landa burned 27 Mayan manuscripts in front of the Maya people of Maní, Yucatan. This was an attempt to erase their memories of their Gods and beliefs so that they were more easily coerced into converting to Catholicism. Today, only four Mayan manuscripts exist.
BgpLe TIL up until 1995, there were no Burger Kings in the Canadian province of Alberta north of the 52nd parallel. This was due to a restaurant in Edmonton already having the name Burger King.