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TIL of Inmate 4859, Witold Pilecki, a Polish intelligence officer that voluntarily entered Auschwitz to gather intel. He escaped and reported the atrocities occurring at Auschwitz. His report was dismissed under the belief that he was exaggerating what was occurring at Auschwitz.

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OGQBR TIL In Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Austria and other countries, the philosophy of the law holds that it is human nature to want to escape captivity. In these countries, those who escape jail and do not break any other laws are not charged and no extra time is added to their sentence.
P1ZgL TIL that photosynthesis doesn't recycle CO₂ into oxygen, the oxygen actually comes from water. Plants break down water (H₂O) to consume the hydrogen necessary to make sugar, and release the oxygen. The CO₂ is never broken down, plants just use it as a building block to make larger carbon compounds.
788JL TIL it was theorized through the 19th century that the Arctic Ocean got warmer as it got closer to the North Pole. The "Open Polar Sea" could provide trade routes through an equator-like temperate climate to Asia, Europe, and the Americas. It was disproven by dozens of failed expeditions.
b6Bj4 TIL the original Pilot Episode of Gilligan's Island used music written by John Williams (the famous composer). The pilot wasn't aired and had roles changed and recast with a new theme song when the show aired
gMBDL TIL Although the custom is relatively recent, larvae are used frequently by several brands of mezcal to give flavor to the drink. A whole larva is deposited in the bottle, normally after having previously been cured in pure alcohol. Today, several brands are doing this including Patron.