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TIL that at its height in 1530, the Inca Empire was considered the largest in the world. 3 years later it had been effectively destroyed by Spanish invaders.

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l7RbA TIL Victor Vescovo is the first person to complete the "Explorers' Extreme Trifecta" of land, sea & air by: summiting Mount Everest (the highest point on Earth), diving to the Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench (the deepest point on Earth), & entering space (crossing the 100-km-high Kármán Line).
1aD6D TIL that Purple Dye in Ancient Times was made by extracting it from a type of Mediterranean sea snail, which made it hard to get lots of, making it by far the most valuable color dye at the time.
GA7rG TIL: When an electric eel senses prey/ a threat, it sends a signal through its nervous system to the electrocytes. Nerve fibres join each electrocyte on one of its sides. The arrival of a signal causes Na+ ions to flood into the cell. This flow gives rise to a discharge of electricity.
j6BOn TIL That Hops (beer), Hackberry, Blue Sandalwood and Trema Orientalis are all closely related to cannabis. And blackberries, apples, peaches, figs, and roses are all in the same Rosales order as cannabis. (distant cousins)
Oo76e TIL of Gunner, a stray Australian dog who, after being wounded in a WW2 air raid, could distinguish so accurately between the sounds of Allied and Japanese planes that he could give 20 mins warning before an air attack. He was taken in by the RAAF and given a role detecting air attacks on Darwin.