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TIL in 1938 nazi Germany began an expedition to challenge Norwegian claims in Antarctica, primarily for control of whale oil; a hotly desired commodity for the production of margarine. The story has since developed into a conspiracy theory about secret nazi ice bases supported by alien technology

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4XDDX TIL- Ghyslain Raza, the "Star Wars Kid", had his video uploaded without permission. He left school due to depression, taking final exams in a psych unit, and sued the families of the uploaders. He later got his HS diploma, went to law school, and did a media tour speaking out against cyber-bullying.
4GM5 TIL termites are being researched as a possible renewable energy source as they can produce up to 2 litres of hydrogen from ingesting a single sheet of paper, making them one of the planet’s most efficient bioreactors.
owoY TIL - in 1910, President Roosevelt supported a bill that would have released hippopotamuses into Louisiana to eat an invasive plant species and to provide delicious hippo bacon to hungry Americans.
R57d1 TIL that while postboxes in England, N. Ireland and Wales are engraved with "EIIR" -the royal cipher of Queen Elizabeth II, those in Scotland bear only a Crown; as there was no Elizabeth I of Scotland. The controversial use of "EIIR" on Scottish postboxes lead to the "Pillar Box War" in the 1950s.
VMeWG TIL that Ritalin (Methylphenidate - which used to treat ADHD) is in the same class of drugs as Methamphetamine and acts in a largely similar way on the body (both are CNS stimulants), so a Ritalin overdose exhibits largely the same symptoms as an overdose on meth.