› added 8 months ago

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TIL of a fungus that infects periodical cicadas, Massospora cicadina, which produces drug-like substances such as an amphetamine analogue, causing infected cicadas to be hypersexual, as well as causing infected male cicadas to allow themselves to be mounted by other males in order to infect them.

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4XPmo TIL Fortune cookies, despite being associated with Chinese cuisine in the United States, were invented in Japan and introduced to the US by the Japanese. The cookies are extremely rare in China, where they are seen as symbols of American cuisine
dlXd TIL the man who sang “I come from a land Down Under” is, in fact, a Scot
VMkpD TIL that Honest Tea holds a yearly experiment. They set up a stand offering a bottle of tea for $1 on the honor system, and the number of drinks taken are compared to the amount of money received. Americans were roughly 90% honest, and the city of Honolulu, Hawaii was 100% honest 2 years in a row
BrBdK TIL that there was a Roman Emporer named Elagabalus, who would dress as a woman before prostituting himself in taverns, brothels, and the imperial palace. He took his charioteer, Hierocles, as his lover and wanted to be called a mistress, wife, and queen.
4k8Y5 TIL Banana peels are edible.