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TIL a miner in the California desert spent 40 years digging a half-mile tunnel alone, by hand. Twenty years into the project, the state completed a road that eliminated the need for the tunnel, but the miner spent another two decades finishing it.

6E6Z8 TIL honey bees aren't native to North America. When they arrived from Europe they spread out faster than the colonists, and Native Americans considered the appearance of the "white man's fly" to indicate the approach of European settlers
x6Ol7 TIL prairie dogs have their own language to communicate incredibly specific information like what color shirt a guys wearing or how fast an animal is approaching. They even have a cute jump-yip that looks like they’re throwing their hands in the air, celebrating when they’re safe from danger
4kyA5 TIL that Nintendo character Mario was named after a real life businessman, Mario Segale. When the company fell behind on rent, Segale gave them a second chance to come up with the money. Nintendo paid their debt and named their flagship character after him.
NX05J TIL in 2002 the Pentagon ran a war game to simulate war with Iran. Marines general Paul Van Riper, playing the defender, sank 19 U.S. ships in 5-10 minutes, including a carrier, several cruisers, and five amphibious ships. He quit the game in disgust after he was ordered to play fair
9PaQ TIL the Ottoman Empire enslaved children, educated them and gave them the most important positions in the empire.