› added 4 years ago

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TIL after conquering China, by 1241 the Mongols were expanding their empire to the west, using Chinese rockets (self-propelled flying bombs) in battles across Eastern Europe. And with them came secret of black powder - the recipe was first written down around 1250 by English scholar Roger Bacon.

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BgQwx TIL researchers evaluated the venom from 312 honeybees and bumblebees and found it to be surprisingly effective at destroying certain types of cancer cells, including those in some subtypes of breast cancer.
Zpm7v TIL that DNA is not instructions for cells to build the organism, just a list of proteins that cells can make. Scientists still aren’t sure how cells cooperate to build tissues & bodies
9wQ0D TIL that Bill Gates was so addicted to Minesweeper, he used to sneak into then-Microsoft President Michael Hallman's office after work to play it, as he had uninstalled the game from his computer
VMmZD TIL that France still has a territory in the Canadian Maritimes.
8aVyP TIL music producer Scott Storch managed to go from $70 million of net worth to bordering on bankruptcy in just a few months by quitting his job, abusing cocaine, purchasing a private jet, a 117-foot yacht and nearly 20 luxury cars, and having a 6-month $30m spending spree.