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TIL in 1856, 18 year old William Perkin accidentally discovered the colour mauve while attempting to synthesize a cure for malaria, upon which he abandoned his previous project and proceeded to revolutionize the synthetic dye industry.

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MnWK TIL Instead of Following Hitler’s Orders, the German 12th Army Decided to Evacuate as Many Soldiers and Civilians to Surrender to the West Instead of the East in the Closing Days of WW2
Y5L7 TIL killer whales that prey on other mammals enter ‘stealth mode’ when hunting, not making any sounds until the prey has been caught. Killer whales that prey on fish, however, continue to make noise at all points in their hunting since fish can’t hear the frequencies they use
dVlK TIL when Yuri Gagarin landed after his famous spaceflight, the only people nearby were a farmer and her daughter. He looked like frightening in his orange space suit, so he said “Don’t be afraid, I’m a Soviet citizen like you, who has descended from space and I must find a telephone to call Moscow!”
0dr05 TIL the invention of bicycles played a vital role in the early women's liberation movement. Women were no longer dependent on men for transportation, giving them a new sense of freedom. Bicycles were also a significant reason for the decline of corsets and long skirts in the early 20th century.
nmgb Today I learned that the US Military’s suicide rate surpassed combat deaths in 2012