› added 9 years ago

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TIL that in November 2001, a body of a now-extinct pregnant baiji dolphin was found. This is probably the last time a baiji, a species that is 19 million years old, ever reproduced.

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via reddit.com

M7Qv7 TIL The classic dessert Creme Brulee is at least 700 years old with the first mention in a 14th century cook book. The recipe included a custard cream, over which sugar was poured and burnt with a hot iron rod. It was called Crema Catalan and is nearly identical to the modern Creme Brulee.
5V7rR TIL that on his deathbed, Aldous Huxley asked his wife to inject him with 100 micrograms of LSD
lB71 TIL that 2001 A Space Odyssey had such a impact on astronauts that when the Apollo 8 crew were the first men to lay eyes on the far side of the moon they were tempted to radio back and say they saw a large black monolith
DQ10D TIL in 1714 the British government offered £20K (~£2m today) to solve the longitude problem - which had cost thousands of lives due to a lack of ship positioning. John Harrison, a carpenter, took 40 years to make the perfect clock - his final version only lost 39.2 seconds over a voyage 47 days.
kmGE TIL that contrary to popular belief, almost all surgery during the American Civil War was performed under general anesthesia and “pain bullets” are a myth. They were actually chewed by pigs.