› added 4 years ago

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TIL: Potato bugs are legitimately called "Jerusalem Crickets" but despite their common names, these insects are neither true crickets nor true bugs, nor are they native to Jerusalem.

Read more wikipedia.org

via reddit.com

PYlRE TIL about RadiThor, an energy drink sold in the 1920s, claimed it provided energy and cured a host of ailments, including impotence. It was simply radium dissolved in water, slowly killing its customers.
OokA7 TIL 40 military musicians have been awarded the Medal of Honor
XLKj TIL that the term “devil’s advocate” was originally the church official appointed to argue against a candidate for sainthood
69Wkm TIL that cartoon depictions of the sawfish having a sharp cutting snout are more reality than fantasy. While myths about cutting ship hulls are untrue, bad injuries result for boat crews. If caught the animal intentionally tries to cut humans. (More cool bio stuff sprinkled through rest of article.)
MPXa TIL, the entire population of California (38M) is more than the entire country of Canada (35M), with California only having 163,000 sq. miles to Canada’s 3.85 million sq. miles.