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TIL author C.S. Lewis wrote upon arriving in England that "the strange English accents with which I was surrounded seemed like the voices of demons. But what was worst was the English landscape."

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BnDe TIL a Star was so Frequently Mistaken for Mars it was named Antares (anti-Ares) or ‘Not Mars’
o1XL TIL that Canada qualified for the FIFA World Cup only once: in 1986. It placed 23rd out of 24 teams.
VB61Z TIL that Alcatraz Island is a federally protected bird sanctuary for various sea birds, including the Western Gull, Brandt's Cormorant, and Black-Crowned Night Heron. These birds nest on the island between April and June.
16Vnr TIL There is an exotic species of roach, extinct in the wild, that still exists because insect lovers thought it looked cool. Scientists who discovered and collected the Simandoa conserfariam bred them in captivity for the pet trade after their habitat was destroyed by mining.
ddaQ TIL: a brutal form of execution in ancient China, the Waist Chop, was outlawed after a victim survived long enough to write the Chinese symbol for “miserable” seven times in his own blood.