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TIL that up until as recently as 2008, a descendant of Confucius held a cabinet-level position in the Taiwanese government, titled the "Sacrificial Official to Confucius". The current holder is a 79th generation descendant of the philosopher who died in 479 BC.

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8MbK TIL there are series of species where species A can interbreed with species B, and species B with species C, but not species A with species C. They’re called ring species.
mx4oM TIL in the 1920s, a strange disease known as encephalitis lethargica spread throughout the world, effecting 5 million people. It killed 1 million, and many of the survivors were left unable to move or speak, but were conscious and aware. No cure was ever found, and it disappeared by 1926.
1agDd TIL after the first attempt to assassinate Franz Ferdinand failed due to a mistimed bomb, the assassin swallowed a cyanide pill and jumped into the Miljacka River to kill himself. The pill was expired and only induced vomiting and the Miljacka was only 13 cm deep due to the hot, dry summer.
e0176 TIL that the Mongolian national baseball team has yet to play a full nine inning game because of the application of the mercy rule
4MDw TIL a man named James Harrison pledged to donate blood once he turned 18 after needing 13 liters of blood during a major chest surgery at 13. It was discovered that his blood contained a rare antigen which cured Rhesus disease. He has donated blood more than 1,000 times, saving over 2,000,000 lives.