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TIL the population of the Dusky seaside sparrow was devastated by intentional flooding of Merritt Island to reduce mosquito populations around the Kennedy Space Center. The last known sparrow died in July 1987 at Disney's Discovery Island.

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D18MV TIL the reason it's called "the birds and the bees" is because it's a metaphor for naturally-occuring events. The "bees" part comes from bees depositing the flowers (a reference to fertilization), and the "birds" part comes from female birds laying eggs (a reference to ovulation).
wo59W TIL The darkest color in the world doesn't have a name, it has the ability to absorb 99.995% of light and has been used to cover a diamond worth 2 million dollars for an "artistic project"
WX9Y TIL The first modern panties were made for Catherine des Medicis, to allow her to ride on horseback without going side-saddle.
DQB1e TIL In 1925 a Norwegian invented special cheese slicer called Ostehøvel. It was so controversial that many people created bins captioned "Throw your cheese slicer here!"
9YL0r TIL James and Betty Jones learned what a James Beard Award was on the day that they won one.