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TIL A Burl is large growth on a tree trunk arising because of an over reaction to an insect attack where the cells go into overdrive. Burls are sought after for wood turning as the growth rings make very intricate patterns.

mxYZR For his Lux Noctis series, Reuben Wu programmed a light-bearing drone (a 3DR Solo UAV carrying a Fiilex AL250 light) to follow specific paths around his subjects as he photographed them using long exposures. The results are a set of UFO-friendly vistas that feature monumental scenery illuminated in totally unnatural ways – like this shot of a rocky crest lit from above by a sci-fi halo.
e0Pgb TIL that the French writer and philosopher Georges Bataille founded a secret society called Acéphale to explore ritualism and human sacrifice, but apparently everyone volunteered to be the sacrificial victim and no one wanted to be the executioner so no sacrifice was ever carried out.
oK0A TIL that private prisons have contracts with states saying that they will sue for millions if not kept to a certain capacity
4kXQg TIL that, on October 30, 1939, just under two months into World War II, a German U-boat submarine fired three torpedoes at the ship carrying soon-to-be Prime Minister Winston Churchill, but none of them exploded. Commander Wilhelm Zahn became known as "The Man Who Almost Killed Churchill".
XEQK8 TIL: For some people, recognizing faces is an impossibility due the neurological disorder known as prosopagnosia (also called face blindness). For them, loved ones can appear to be strangers.