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TIL Room 101, the torture chamber in George Orwell’s 1984, was named after a meeting room at the BBC where Orwell would have to sit through tortuously boring meetings.

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6EBVW TIL halting sneezing via blocking the nostrils and mouth is a dangerous manoeuvre. It may lead to numerous complications, such as pneudomediastinum (air trapped in the chest between both lungs), perforation of the tympanic membrane (perforated eardrum), and even rupture of a cerebral aneurysm.
XWJE TIL an MIT grad student submitted his thesis developing the theory of orbital rendezvous which would be critical to the Apollo program. It opens, “In the hopes that this work may in some way contribute to their exploration of space. If only I could join them in their exciting endeavors.” Buzz Aldrin
9Wmm TIL that kids need recess. It helps them release anxiety, helps them learn socially and helps them learn better while in school. Taking away recess does more harm than good.
R7pAl TIL that sunflowers can help clean radioactive soil. Japan is using this to rehabilitate Fukashima. Almost 10,000 packets of sunflower seeds have been sold to the people of the city.
QJBlE TIL Fleetwood Mac's 'Dreams' reentered Billboard's Hot Rock Songs chart in 2018 on the strength of a tweet featuring the song playing over a video of the Alcorn State University dance line