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TIL the term military tattoo comes from the early 17th-century Dutch phrase doe den tap toe ("turn off the tap"), a signal sounded by drummers or trumpeters to instruct innkeepers to stop serving beer and for soldiers to return to their barracks

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59bP TIL the toxic surfactant, Corexit, pumped into the gulf by the hundreds of thousands of gallons by BP after the Deepwater Horizon spill, was 52 more times toxic when in combination with oil. That is to say that the oil left alone by itself would have been less toxic and easier to clean up.
grdbL TIL that the Crown Prince and heir to the Empire of Iran lives in Great Falls, Virginia
4gYb TIL Russell Crowe was born in New Zealand not Australia. However, despite living most of his life in Australia, identifying as Australian, and appearing on Australian stamps, he was refused Australian citizenship in 2006 and 2013.
mx1OY TIL in Germany you can buy a sausage Advent calendar
GYjm5 TIL that PART OF YOUR WORLD was almost cut from The Little Mermaid. During an early screening, the producer ordered to remove it, saying it was "too boring." The animators begged him to give it a 2nd chance, as the scene was incomplete. So, they finished it up and showed it again, which did well.