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TIL of Merv, a now unpopulated oasis in the Central Asian desert. It may have been the largest city in the world by population in the 12th and 13th centuries, before being massacred during the Mongol conquests, and later forcibly depopulated in 1789

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dDjbd TIL the Great New Orleans Fire of 1788 was even more destructive because the fire started on Good Friday, priests refused to allow church bells to be rung as a fire alarm. The fire destroyed virtually all major buildings in the city, including the church, municipal building and army barracks.
RLEa TIL that a pair of headphones, plugged into a microphone jack, will work as a microphone. A microphone will similarly work as a speaker if plugged into the headphones jack. The internal components of the two devices are functionally identical.
N4nP TIL U.S. radio host Jerry Klein produced a show where he called for all U.S. Muslims to get tattoos and marks on their IDs which identify them as Muslims. Many listeners expressed support. At the show’s end, he revealed it was a hoax highlighting the dangers of extremism.
D1yxY TIL that the Romans kept and cared for sacred geese in a temple, who then alerted them to an attack by invading Gauls, saving the city.
yVvjJ TIL The specific wording "the pen is mightier than the sword" was first used by author Edward Bulwer-Lytton in 1839, the same guy whose intro sentence “It was a dark and stormy night.” inspired a contest for the worst opening sentence for a novel.