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TIL The French mathematician Descartes had a theory that monkeys and apes were able to talk – but kept quiet in case they were asked to do any work.

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Jb6m TIL the US military investigated building a “gay bomb”, which would make enemy soldiers “sexually irresistible” to each other.
84JG TIL That the Rockefeller owned Standard Oil was declared a monopoly, forced to split into 33 companies in 1911 including Exxon and Mobil which then re-merged in 1999 into ExxonMobil the 8th largest company in the world.
kOlYW TIL Though the royal figures on modern playing cards do not represent actual people, names were assigned to them: Charlemagne (hearts), David (spades), Caesar (diamonds), and Alexander (clubs). The names of the queens — Judith or Judic (hearts), Pallas (spades), Rachel (diamonds), and Argine (clubs)
5nBB TIL: There is a ‘ghost-town’ millionaires resort on the island of Cyprus. The Turkish military does not allow anyone inside and hasn’t done so for nearly 40 years.
5YbAQ TIL that there is an Australian pine growing out of an old railroad bridge in the Florida Keys named Fred the Tree. Fred survives with salt spray, lots of sunshine, and no apparent soil. Fred even withstood Hurricane Irma!