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TIL that in 1955 a lightning bolt struck a land mine from WW1 in Belgium killing a cow, making that cow a casualty of war.

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4k466 TIL: Sperm whales are so named because of a waxy substance known as spermaceti found in their heads. This substance was used in oil lamps, lubricants, and candles in olden days leading to these whales being the primary target of the whaling industry
kOnL5 TIL as late as 2018 an 26 year old American missionary illegally attempted to christianize an isolated tribe living on an island of the indian ocean, and was killed shortly after landing. His body was not retrieved and no legal charges were pursued.
BZpk TIL that catnip is 10 times as effective at repelling mosquitoes than DEET, the common ingredient in most bug sprays.
9wWVD TIL that when a Manhattan Project scientist was asked to calculate whether a human being could survive exposure to a very high dose of radiation, she only learned later that the person that had received the dose was her husband.
5Yjop TIL that for many years prior to the Crusades, Muslims, Jews, and Christians worked together to translate and reproduce Ancient Greek texts, like Aristotle, to reintroduce lost literature to the world.