› added 7 years ago

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TIL The virus that causes cold sores is known as the herpes simplex virus (HSV). Despite popular myth, it is almost impossible to catch herpes from contaminated surfaces, towels, or washcloths

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oaKK TIL that the pumpkin carving during Halloween comes from an Irish folktale where a smith called Jack sold his soul to the devil for a beer.
9YKMp TIL that Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II had young infants raised without speaking to them in the 13th century to determine if there was a "natural" language imparted by God. His experiments proven unsuccessful because all the children raised this way died.
kW6m TIL Mr Rogers from Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood addressed common childhood fears with songs and skits; One of his songs explained how a child cannot be pulled down the bathtub drain, and he also visited the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh to show children that a hospital is not a place to fear.
79R7 TIL male pigs raised for pork are castrated before puberty in order to prevent naturally occurring substances from appearing in the meat that cause unpleasant odors when cooked, AKA “boar taint”.
XEEL8 TIL Tokyo has been destroyed and rebuilt on average, from 1608 to 1945, once every five years.