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TIL that the rivalry between the neighboring cities of Minneapolis and St Paul was once so strong that during the 1890 US Census, each city began arresting or kidnapping the other's census takers in order to curb their rival's population.

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KOrb4 TIL some species of mayflies are known to molt 45 times or more during their typical one-year lifespan, and are also known as the only insects that molt twice in their winged-adult form, living for only 1 or 2 days to mate and lay eggs. Interestingly, mayflies are unable to breathe while molting.
P1AlV TIL in 2009, for the first time in history, two satellites (Russian and American) collided in space at 26,000 MPH. There was so much debris that people on Earth could see it falling from the sky. One day, residents of Kentucky heard a sonic boom, which NWS confirmed was space debris.
mwao TIL Bayer sold HIV and Hepatitis C contaminated blood products which caused up to 10,000 people in the U.S. alone to contract HIV. After they found out the drug was contaminated, they pulled it off the U.S. market and sold it to countries in Asia and Latin America so they could still make money.
WkRo8 TIL in the USSR, there was a course where every student was required to assemble an AK47 under a time limit in order to graduate from high school (начальная военная подготовка).
vL9j TIL the mushroom (Phallus indusiatus) can make a woman orgasm spontaneously by smelling it