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TIL researchers found naturally occurring lithium in the water supply lowered suicide rates. They were able to measure lithium levels in 27 Texas counties and show those with more lithium in their water had fewer suicides. Similar studies in Greece, Austria, & Japan corroborated the results.

Read more nytimes.com

via reddit.com

d84X8 TIL in 1987, in Brazil, a ship carrying 22tons of weed in 3lb cans dumped all of it in the sea after being chased by Brazilian authorities. The cans were carried to the coastline by the tides, and most ended up being found (and used) by locals. This event came to be known as "The Summer of the Cans"
VBYWQ TIL In 2010, the Russian Navy ordered the repair of a nuclear battlecruiser at a cost of $11 million dollars. Prosecutors later revealed that the actual cost of this work should have been $8 million and the other $3 million was stolen. As was discovered later, no repair work was carried at all.
rJ5y TIL that there is a factory in Japan which can run unsupervised for 30 days at a time. Robots build other robots at the rate of 50 per 24-hour shift. Such factories are called “lights out” factories because no human presence is needed. FANUC has been operating this autonomous factory since 2001.
QJMoE TIL that in 1975 a cat was credited as a co-author of a physics paper, after Jack Hetherington accidentally used articles such as "we" and "our" in a study on atomic behavior. Unwilling to change the errors, he simply added his cat as a co-author, under the name "F.D.C. Willard"
x6O0 TIL after Beethoven heard Mauro Giuliani play the guitar, he commented that the instrument was “a miniature orchestra in itself”.