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TIL: The story that Newton was hit on the head by an apple is almost certainly apocryphal. All Newton himself ever said was that the idea of gravity came to him as he sat in a contemplative mood, and was occasioned by the fall of an apple.

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GYaAj TIL the first SWAT team was created just to deal with bank robberies. However, it was so successful that the scope of SWAT use was extended to various other high-risk situations - in fact, nowadays 80% of SWAT operations are search warrants, mainly for narcotics.
5Kdr TIL to join The 300 Club, when the outside temperature at the South Pole is less than -73C (-100F), it’s traditional to get in a sauna at 93C (200F) and then run around the South Pole naked. Thus experiencing a 300 degree Fahrenheit temperature difference.
9wNkM TIL of the British political movement “disestablishmentarianism”, which advocated separation of church and state. Those who oppose this movement are called “antidisestablishmentarianists”.
J1j04 TIL that piroshkis and pierogis are not the same thing. I thought it was two different pronunciations of the same thing.
wom6W TIL when Brian Lara broke the first-class cricket world record for highest individual score by scoring 501 runs, his sponsor, clothing company Joe Bloggs, was unable to release commemorative jeans because "501" was a Levi's trademark. They ended up making a "500 and One" series of t-shirts and caps.