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TIL in 1780, in an event known as Dark Day, New England was cast into blackness as a result of Ontario wildfires mixed with unfavorable atmospheric conditions. Such was the lack of light, candles were needed in the day to provide illumination. Parts of New Hampshire were covered in ash 6" deep.

QJ499 TIL red foxes have been domesticated, similar to the way of wolves to dogs. It began in 1959 by a zoologist only as an experiment, but the foxes have use today.
OkD4 TIL there is a book by Russian scientist Kirill Yeskov, which tells the tale of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings from Sauron’s perspective, and of the orcs retreat as they are pursued by elves in an attempt to exterminate them.
Br1Ry TIL that Twitter holds the patent on “dragging down from the top of your screen to refresh the current page,” but agreed when they acquired the patent to only use it on anyone who sued them first.
0wBxN TIL in 2003 when the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington was in a cracked state from weathering, a retired used car salesmen purchased a $31,000 marble slab to donate for its repair. The donation was rejected by Congress in part because it didn’t go through a competitive bidding process.
wLWoJ TIL about the Megalithic Temples of Malta. Built during three distinct periods approximately between 3600 BC and 2500 BC on the island country of Malta. They had been claimed as the oldest free-standing structures on Earth until the discovery of Göbekli Tepe.