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TIL that every Texas Ranger's badge is carved from Mexican silver, rather than cast like most other badges. Standard issue badges are all made almost exclusively using 1947 or 1948 Cinco Peso coins by only three master silversmiths and engravers.

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1aelP TIL ice blocks are cut from frozen lakes, packed in sawdust and sold and delivered door to door before the invention of refrigerators
dDDRj TIL that deepsea crustaceans excrete aluminum gel to protect themselves in the crushing depths of the ocean
oRpaW TIL Avatar 2 was so expensive to make, a month before its release, James Cameron said it had to be the 4th or 5th highest grossing film in history ($2 billion) just to break even. It's currently the 3rd, having raked in $2.3b.
GYZ1j TIL that City Park in New Orleans holds the world's largest collection of mature live oak trees, some older than 600 years in age.
9Y9pQ TIL a majority of the people Christopher Walken interacted with as a child were non-native English speakers, including his father. Walken attributes his unique halting speaking style to watching people hesitate to think of the right English word.