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TIL an analysis of Beethoven's hair found high levels of lead, arsenic & mercury. The high amount of lead in particular likely contributed to his deafness. One lock of hair had 380 micrograms per gram & a second one had 258 micrograms. A normal level of lead is around 4 micrograms or less per gram.

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PY0ow TIL that when he was 15, Stan Lee entered a high school essay competition held by the New York Herald Tribune, and he won for 3 straight weeks until the newspaper wrote him and asked him to let someone else win. Later, the newspaper said he should look into writing professionally
D1nKg TIL that the NYC government intentionally cheated on lead tests in public schools, leading to false passing grades and allowing millions of children to drink water laced with lead and heavy metals for years and years (they continue to drink contaminated water to this day).
J1N0m TIL that Rebecca Sugar, the creator of Steven Universe, is the great-granddaughter-in-law of Theodosia Okoh, the person responsible for the design of the flag of Ghana.
9wRgQ TIL that in 1960, a B52 crashed during training. The navigator, thinking the plane was crashing, ejected without orders. The pilot, heard the ejection, thought the plane was breaking up, and ordered the crew to eject. The plane flew crewless for 50 miles before crashing.
4XXvo Birds, whales, butterflies, and many other animals have an instinctive sense of which way points North. Even dogs tend to poop in line with the planet's magnetic poles. If they can sense magnetic fields, can we?