› added 5 years ago

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TIL: US President Ronald Reagan was the first to pardon a Thanksgiving turkey. He did it as a way to distract from a political scandal.

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via reddit.com

AN5kw TIL that Skatole, the main odorant responsible for the smell of human feces, is used in low concentrations as a perfume. It apparently smells like orange jasmine and ripe fruits.
Z8k6p TIL of the Asch conformity experiments, which demonstrated how social pressure can change even our perception of seemingly objective facts.
n6vb TIL sand sharks get pregnant with up to 50 embryos where one eats all of the others, grows and is born.
Z8r7B TIL that Canadian sports network rivals TSN and SportsNet were once based at the same office complex, with only a parking lot separating the two. Workers would refer to leaving one channel for the other as “crossing the lot”
E1EMx TIL in 1940, a man saw House Finches for sale in Brooklyn–sold as Hollywood Finches, a violation of Migratory Bird Treaty Act. He told the Audubon Society & they went undercover–busting shops selling them. Shops released them to avoid penalty. Now they’re one of the most widespread birds in America.