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TIL corn [maize] needs to be cooked in limewater before its nutrients can be absorbed into the human body. While Native Americans knew this, early New World colonial settlers did not, which resulted in many deaths from malnutrition for those who using it as a staple food.

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grjB4 TIL One term at the signoria, the government of the republic of Florence, was only two months long. Its members were not elected but randomly selected from a pot of eligible names. During their term, the priors were required to abandon their private business and live full time at the city hall
kJvK1 TIL the earliest description of the heliocentric model dates back to Ancient Greece. Aristarchus of Samos (c.310–c.230 BC) described the Earth spinning on its axis once per day and orbiting a fixed Sun. He also thought that stars were other suns much further away.
BgxKr TIL The South Atlantic Anomaly is an area where the Van Allen radiation belt is closer to the earth's surface (200km from the surface). The SAA has caused false solar flare alarms, led to the destruction of the Hitomi telescope, and crashes laptops.
p8jme TIL there has NEVER been a perfect game in an officially sanctioned game of the New England/Canadian Maritime candlepin version of bowling - the highest such score has been 245, attained twice
b9Pjp TIL a team at MIT developed a computer programme called ‘World One’ which predicted that in the year 2020 a series of catastrophic events will begin that will lead to the end of civilisation.