› added 4 years ago

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TIL Since the North American Free Trade Agreement was signed, the obesity rates in both Canada and Mexico have risen sharply due to a boost in consumption of high fructose corn syrup products imported from the US.

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b9pLa TIL, in 1948, a man wore 30-pound, 3-toed lead shoes and stomped around a Florida beach in the night. The footprints lead people to believe that a 15-foot tall penguin was roaming their lands. He kept up the prank for 10 years, visiting various beaches. The hoax wasn't revealed until 40 years later.
kJkQd TIL of Michael Taylor, a British man who murdered his wife by tearing out her eyes and tongue with his bare hands after an all night exorcism that supposedly left three demons remaining within him - insanity, murder, and violence
x6blB TIL that some members of the Sama-Banjau ethnic group intentionally rupture their ear drums at a young age in order to improve their ability to dive & hunt at sea. This allows them to dive for extended periods of time between varying depths without worrying about pain from water pressure changes
KYAGw TIL the Qing dynasty of China forced their male subjects to wear a hairstyle called the Queue. It featured a long braid and a shaved front of the head. Cutting the queue became seen as a symbol of rebellion against the empire.
V4Wk TIL of James Price, an 18th century chemist/alchemist who claimed to be able to turn mercury into gold. When challenged to perform the conversion for a second time in front of credible witnesses, he instead committed suicide by drinking cyanide.