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TIL that a baby prince from the Khwarezmian Empire was sold as a slave after the Mongols invaded their land and killed his family. He arrived in Egypt and rose among the ranks until he became king. He then lead the army and served the Mongols one of their first major defeats in history.

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VBMAm TIL 36% of all mammals are human, 60% our livestock and 4% wildlife.
v8Dr TIL there used to be “party lines” for telephones, the entire neighborhood was linked to a single phone line and they had to take turns using the phone. You could listen in to your neighbors’ calls, or interrupt them telling them to get off the phone because they talk too much and you need to use it
wolp8 TIL in 1998 Oscar ceremony, Bart the bear, a grizzly bear went on stage and gave an envelope to Mike Myers
9YQlp TIL John Steinbeck’s dog, Toby, ate his manuscript of Of Mice and Men. There was no other draft. Steinbeck said of the incident, “I was pretty mad but the poor little fellow may have been acting critically. I didn’t want to ruin a good dog for a ms (manuscript), I’m not sure is good at all.”
manM TIL: The number of homeschooled children increased by 61.8% in the last 10 years.