› added 1 year ago

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TIL that "many large opossums (Didelphini) are immune to the venom of rattlesnakes and pit vipers (Crotalinae) and regularly prey upon these snakes."

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oD7 TIL in some Philippine tribes such as the Agta, a young man who reaches puberty is taught how to masturbate by an older man. The young man then masturbates at a ceremony in front of other people.
xVLVo TIL that Pythagoras cannot have been the first to discover the Pythagorean theorem because it was known and used by the Babylonians over a millennium before he was born. Classical historians dispute whether he himself ever actually made any significant contributions to the field of mathematics.
mxbwM TIL Forest fires are essential for continuation of giant California Sequoia trees: Seeds will break open during intense heat
wo6a8 TIL the zipper, originally called the “Hookless Fastener” and patented as the “Separable Fastener” in the 1910s, was first used on tobacco pouches and boots. By the 1920s and 1930s, it gained popularity in children’s clothing and men’s trousers.
W19 TIL in WWII, both Allied and Axis forces, specifically pilots, were known to be methamphetamine users, so much so that it was nicknamed “Pilot’s Salt”.