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TIL a walnut-sized parrot brain contains more neurons than a lemon-sized monkey brain, and bird brains in general have much higher cognitive power per pound than mammal brains. Being called bird-brained should be a compliment, not an insult!

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0wwZR TIL before the electric telegraph, there was a system called the semaphore telegraph, where signals were communicated visually using a network of towers topped with pivoting blades and paddles that could be rearranged to indicate different symbols
BrX0r TIL navigating by the stars is still used, the SR-71 (the fastest ever manned airplane) used a computer to automatically track the stars giving it <300m accuracy at Mach 3+. It could even track stars during the day.
woJGP TIL that goats prefer interacting with happy people. They can distinguish between human facial expressions and seek out positive interactions with those who appear happy.
6EelZ TIL a therapy cat named Oscar predicted the impending death of some 50 terminally ill patients by napping next to them a few hours before they died. After he accurately predicted 25 deaths, staff started calling family members of residents as soon as they discovered him sleeping close to someone
5Y1OP TIL there was a plan to build a 3,000 slot machine casino almost 3 miles from the Gettysburg Battlefield, which would create 3,000 jobs and a year-round tourism industry. It was rejected twice (2006 and 2011) under opposition from Civil War enthusiasts including Ken Burns and composer John Williams.