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170

TIL That today, more people worldwide suffer from obesity (1.3 billion) than hunger (900 million).

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gMn7A TIL The original word for 'bear' has been lost. People in middle ages were superstitious and thought saying the animal's name would summon it. They called it 'bear' which means 'the brown one' to avoid saying its actual name.
vZLD TIL that one of the collective nouns for butterflies is kaleidoscope. A kaleidoscope of butterflies.
OGol6 TIL that Simon and Garfunkel’s first single, released in 1957, gained popularity after their manager Sid Prosen bribed DJ Alan Freed to play the song on his radio show. The song, Hey Schoolgirl, gained popularity from this and reached #49 in the charts
mxAEY TIL of the land of brushes. Kumano city in Japan's Hiroshima prefecture is famous for producing handmade brushes that are used by Hollywood makeup artists among others. But it only specialized in brushmaking after farmers had to sell brushes to earn an income during the agricultural off season.
kJvPm TIL of Jack, a baboon who acted as an assistant to a disabled railway signalman in the 1800s. Trained to push a wheelchair and operate the railway signals under supervision, the baboon got 20 cents a day, and half a bottle of beer each week. Apparently, he never made a mistake in 9 years of service.