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TIL about the potlatch, a ceremony of some First Nations on the Canadian Northwest Coast held to celebrate events (ex. marriages, births). It served to confer status and redistribute wealth, which was seen as anti-Christian and wasteful of personal property, leading to a federal ban from 1884-1951.

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BgVDW TIL: Short Sleeper Syndrome is a gene mutation discovered by the University of Pittsburgh in 2014. They can function normally with less than 6 hours of sleep and never need to "recover" from lack of sleep as opposed to people who purposefully limit sleep. The mutation was given to mice and worked.
VA6p TIL Attorneys from Coors brewery were appointed by Reagan to the EPA after campaign donations by Joseph Coors. The EPA then lifted restrictions on the dumping of toxic waste in Colorado, home of the Coors brewery.
M5gK TIL that Bill Cosby is on the US Library of Congress “Living Legends” registry, for those who “have provide(d) examples of personal excellence that have benefited others and enriched the nation in a variety of ways”
KOPjw TIL that Japan's All Nippon Airways is now asking passengers on select flights to empty their bladders before boarding.If all 216 passengers on an ANA Boeing 767 had pretty full bladders, that extra urine would weigh about 240 pounds.
wN78 TIL in 1957 Elvis asked his audience at a Seattle concert to please rise for the national anthem. He picked up his guitar, leaned in, shook his hips and began his biggest hit “You ain’t nothin’ but a hound dog.” The crowd went wild. A 15-year old Jimmy Hendrix was there.