› added 3 months ago

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TIL the original penguins, called the Great auk, are already extinct. What we call penguins now are called such because their appearance is similar to the Great auk.

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via reddit.com

4kPKX TIL that Quvenzhané Wallis is the only person born in the 21st century ever nominated for an acting Oscar
RwLl TIL Residents of a Johannesburg town protested microwave towers claiming headaches, nausea, tinnitus, rashes, gastric/sleep issues that subsided after leaving the coverage area. After a meeting with residents the tower’s owners revealed the towers had been switched off more than six weeks earlier.
neXEW TIL this picture of an ancient tablet is actually a 5,000 year old beer receipt. 'Alulu beer receipt' records a purchase of "best" beer from a brewer, c. 2050 BC from the Sumerian city of Umma in ancient Iraq.
nLWb TIL last year the 80 richest people in the world had more wealth than half the world’s population combined. Only 4 years earlier the number was 388.
ORY1 TIL that from 1902-1907, a group of 12 scientists regularly ate dangerous, common food additives that had previously been untested, such as formaldehyde, and documented how they reacted to said additives. They were known as “The Poison Squad,” and helped spur the creation of the FDA.