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TIL shortly after Mark Zuckerberg launched Facebook from his dorm room, he offered a friend “emails, pictures, addresses, SNS” of 4,000 Harvard users, calling them “dumb fucks” for trusting him with their data

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jNJgM TIL that in 1818 US began building a fort near the New York - Quebec border to defend against invasions from Canada.After 2 years of construction, they realized the fort was actually on the Canadian side.They abandoned it and nicknamed it Fort Blunder.
ep6m5 TIL Dolphins call each other by ‘name’ using a unique whistle to identify each other. They only respond to their own names, by sounding a distinct whistle back. Researchers believe dolphins are acting like humans: when they hear their name, they answer.
LkNwQ TIL In 2009, Stephen Hawking threw a party at the University of Cambridge, complete with balloons, hors d'oeuvres and iced champagne. Just as expected, nobody showed up because he only sent out invitations after his party was over. It was, he said, "a welcome reception for future time travelers,".
rRvG0 TIL, the book "death by starvation", written by Hegesias of Cyrene, a philosopher who believed that life was futile and advocated for suicide, was so influential that it convinced a number of people to kill themselves. Subsequently, Hegesias was banned from teaching in Alexandria
rRyGx TIL Polar Bears’ fur is not white, but transparent. The long, coarse outer hairs are transparent and hollow. The thinner undercoat hairs aren’t hollow, but are still colorless. The hair appears white due the air spaces in each hair scattering light of all colors.