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61

TIL that influenza originated as an indirect result of the domestication of pigs and ducks

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b9GON TIL about the White Ship disaster that killed 300 people including the heir to the English throne, and sent England into a succession crisis
6Mjm TIL the traditional role of the Japanese Emperor is not chief of the military, but “protector of the rice-plants.” Each year he must enact the Onamesai, an erotic and secret ritual that ensures the continual flow of divine rice into our realm.
aGP9 TIL of Harry Thaw who killed architect Stanford White and was acquitted based on the defense of “dementia Americana,” a phenomenon that caused American men to become temporarily insane and seek revenge against those who had tainted their wives’ virtue. Thaw had married White’s former mistress.
BgXKy TIL: In 1977, the makers of Bubble Yum gum bought full page ads in the NY Times and other major papers to dispel rumors that spider eggs were the secret ingredient used to make the gum soft and chewable.
jN8Ra TIL The Shepherd's Purse plant is considered a protocarnivore. The seeds of the plant attract and kill worms, which then decay and enrich the surrounding soil.