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TIL Girl Scout Brownies are not named after the dessert, but rather the Brownie goblins of folklore who at night aided in small tasks of the home. Harry Potter house elves are also based off of these Brownie goblins.

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6Vbl TIL the algorithm the ants use to discover how much food there is available is essentially the same as that Internet protocols use to discover how much bandwidth is available for transferring a file.
9Y6wX TIL Nathan Jones, the guy who played the giant Brad Pitt kills in the beginning of Troy, was once on Australia’s most wanted for a spate of 8 armed robberies committed between 1985 and 1987. He ended up serving 7 years in maximum security and was introduced to powerlifting while incarcerated.
MelB0 TIL that lithium, which is used to tread bipolar disorder, is found in a water supply, there is a reduction in the amount of violence and suicide in that population.
NADE TIL there is a valid legal defense against harassment charges known as the Equal Opportunity Asshole or Equal Opportunity Jerk defense in which the accused proves themselves to be an asshole to everyone without discrimination
kVO5 TIL a Chinese beggar whose hands were ruined in an explosion spent a decade designing a new type of two-handed calligraphy. The result was so impressive that China’s largest font maker gave him a design contract with 50 years of royalties and helped to get him off the streets.