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TIL the phrase ‘crocodile tears’ refers to a medieval belief that crocodiles shed tears of sadness when killing and consuming their prey

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6EyZW TIL that some beaches in Hawaii are white due to fish poop.
lYK5 TIL that Russia is suspected to have at least 15 secret cities. These “closed cities” are officially classified by the gov’t, with their names and location unknown, they appear on no maps, no road signs will direct you to them, and visits from foreigners are strictly prohibited.
9YjL7 TIL that the 18-year losing streak of Japanese baseball team Hanshin Tigers is tied to a popular curse that involved a Colonel Sanders statue. The statue, taken from a local KFC restaurant, was thrown into a canal by fans during their team's 1st and only championship run in the annual Japan Series.
wbRo TIL Tom Hanks gained 50 pounds at the beginning of the filming of Castaway and lost it during a year break to make it look like he was living on the island for years
8alGG TIL of Zhang Jing­chuan, a Chinese mountaineer who survived a taliban execution at a 13,000-foot base camp. He knocked an attacker, hid barefoot in his underwear for an hour in a ravine, snuck back in a tent to get a jacket and a satellite phone, hiked to safety and called the local emergency line