› added 5 years ago

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TIL in ancient China, a huge war was sparked because of a board game gone wrong. The crown prince was arguing with his cousin, the son of a regional king, during a match of a game called Liubo, and when his cousin offended him, he threw the board at him. He died from the blow. His father revolted.

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p8waZ TIL hummingbirds are continuously hours away from starving to death and consume the human equivalent of 140,000 calories per day to compensate. They enter an mini-hibernation mode (torpor) each night just to survive the suspension of calories.
lGm5 TIL the United States incarcerates more of its youth than any other country in the world. Approximately 40% being in privatized for profit detention centers.
Me6jm TIL 'Tarantula' is derived from the name of the Italian town Taranto, home of the dance called the tarentella. During the Middle Ages the tarentella was thought to be the way to cure the bite of a particular spider. The symptoms included exhibitionism, melancholia and delirium.
JYeyk TIL the role of "alpha" in primates is not always determined by physical size or strength, but by collecting resources, forming political alliances, and intelligence. Some primates even experience increased stress from being in the alpha role.
dDWNK TIL that in 1320, the city of Avignon put an entire species of beetle on trial to try and protect their harvest, and they demanded the beetles to withdraw to a designated reserve. When the beetles refused to comply, they were outlawed, detained, and killed.