› added 3 years ago

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TIL that evaporation of the man-made Salton Sea has caused algal blooms from concentrated fertilizer runoff, botulism-tainted fish, massive bird die-offs that required 24/7 incineration of the carcasses, and toxic, foul-smelling clouds of dust that wafted into Los Angeles.

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ne50G TIL There is an urban legend that the city of Berwick was at war with Russia from 1853 till the 1960's, when the mayor signed a treaty. The myth spawns from Berwick's absence from the Treaty of Paris that ended the Crimean War, in reality Berwick was not included in the original declaration of war.
JYmpm TIL, The street artist Banksy extensively copied the style and work of the French street artist Blek le rat.
D1Vgj TIL about the Proto-Indo-European motif of 'Chaoskampf', depicting a battle between a cultural deity and a 'chaos monster', often in the shape of a serpent/dragon. Nearly all Indo-European mythologies contain a version of it, and the protagonist is usually associated with thunder in some aspect.
l96K TIL that King James I of Scotland was trapped in a drain and killed because it was blocked to prevent the loss of tennis balls.
pJeZ TIL masturbation has health benefits relating to cervical infections, urinary tract infections, and may reduce insomnia, depression, prostate cancer