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TIL the English word weird originally meant 'having the power to control fate', which is why Shakespeare named his witches in Macbeth The Weird Sisters. Later depictions of them dressed in odd and strange ways led to the current definition of the word.

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xVwm5 TIL that Syria cuts out the internet during the high school examinations
NR5M TIL about ablaut reduplication, an unwritten rule in the english language stating that, “if there are three words then the order must go I, A, O. If there are two words then the 1st is I and the 2nd is either A or O.” It is the reason we say tick-tock, not tock-tick, ding-dong not dong-ding etc.
9wZRD TIL that if the salt in the ocean was removed and spread evenly over the Earth’s land surface it would form a layer more than 500 feet (166 meters) thick, about the height of a 40-story office building.
E1Kkd TIL The "Mensch of Malden Mills" could have retired when his textile factory burned down. Instead he paid employees for 60 days and rebuilt the factory in the same place. When asked about his decision, he replied: "And what would I do with it? Eat more? Buy another suit? Retire and die?"
9RgB TIL the waste produced by coal power plants is more radioactive than that generated by nuclear power plants