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TIL that in 1931 Albert Einstein sent a letter to Sigmund Freud titled "Why War?" to better understand the psychological causes of war. Freud responded that biological evolution, inherent power differences within groups, and the paradox of peace (times of peace allow empires to be built) cause war.

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4kNdw TIL Vincent van Gogh had a known habit of sucking on his brushes to swap colors. It is widely believed that the lead poisoning led to his severe mental decline, resulting in his famously cutting off his ear, and ultimately shooting himself in the chest.
MeRl0 TIL Work at Bell Labs resulted in 9 Nobel Prizes & 4 Turing Awards. Bell laid the first transoceanic phone cable, mapped dark matter, created radio astronomy, the transistor, laser, solar cell, information theory, Unix, C & C++, error detection, cell phones, optical tweezers, electron lithography.
rL1w TIL that “Lego Star Wars the Video Game” contained the entire plot of Revenge of the sith despite being released a month before the movie’s premiere.
8r7V TIL of the Halcyon, a $2500, LaserDisc-based video game console from 1985. It was entirely voice-activated, and the manufacturer claimed it was as ‘intelligent’ as the HAL 9000. It never saw commercial release, and fewer than a dozen still exist.
ANLAx TIL about how the Royals of Hawai'i went to Queen Victoria's golden Jubilee and that Queen Kapi'olani of the Hawaiian islands was seated two seats to Queen Victoria, a Sign that she was a guest of high status.