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TIL that fruit ripening with ethylene gas started after a leaky gas main caused plants to grow abnormally. Dimitry Neljubow a Russian scientist was able to identify the chemical in 1901.

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VB7b4 TIL A Chinese zoo admitted its “pandas” are actually dyed Chow Chow dogs. Videos from Taizhou Zoo revealed wagging tails, sparking backlash for misleading visitors and harming animals. The zoo defended it, claiming dyeing dogs is no different than people dyeing their hair.
QNZ1L TIL Debbie Reynolds was not a dancer when she made Singin' in the Rain (1952). Gene Kelly apparently insulted her for lacking dance experience. when Fred Astaire was in the studio, he found her crying under a piano. On hearing what had happened, Astaire volunteered to help her with her dancing.
awnoM TIL that Australians are entitled by law to a repair/replace/refund on whatever they buy
E1kLw TIL In 1967's West Germany, a student that protested the ruler of Persia was shot dead by police, which sparked mass-demonstrations and unrest across the whole republic. Decades later it was revealed that the policeman responsible for the killing was actually an East German secret agent.
OG7Be TIL The Mongolian People's Republic also had a Great Purge concurrent with the purges carried out by Stalin from 1937-1939. It’s estimated that between 20,000 and 35,000 "enemies of the revolution" were executed, a figure representing three to five percent of Mongolia's total population at the time.