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TIL to defend a South African city under siege in 1899, a mining engineer from Detroit built a 155' high watchtower with search lights and telephones, a water supply system, a bulk refrigeration plant, two armored trains, artillery shells, a cannon, and also the tools needed to build the cannon

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Z8vDa TIL That over 1100% more people are Trypophobic than ailurophobic.
5pd9 TIL Sand Pirates exist, along with a black market for sand. Pirates come to Cambodia and illegally dredge up sand, then the sell it to Singapore, which uses the sand to expand its coastline.
nQVW TIL the Aztecs called armadillos āyōtōchtli, meaning “turtle-rabbits”
Y7paA TIL the last independent ancient Greek state was in India
NXro6 TIL that Big Bird was originally suggested as one of the candidates to go aboard the Challenger shuttle.