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TIL that in 1800, the U.S. birthrate was higher than in any European nation. The typical woman bore 7 children, starting around age 23 and continuing in two-year intervals until menopause. Had this pattern continued, the U.S. population would have reached 2 billion by 1990.

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oBGo8 TIL the character Totoro from Hayao Miyasaki's 1988 film My Neighbour Totoro, makes a cameo appearance in the 2010 Pixar film Toy Story 3. Daisuke Tsutsumi, the art director of Toy Story 3, is married to Miyazaki's niece, who was the original inspiration for the character Mei in My Neighbour Totoro.
D8Qg TIL - Childhood lead poisoning was linked to lead-based paints in 1904. Several EU countries banned it in 1909, League of Nations banned it in 1922. The US did not start phasing it out until 1971 & houses built before 1978 may contain lead paint
d8b0d TIL Using advanced scanning techniques, Japanese and French scientists have discovered a 30 m long cavity in the Great Pyramid, above the Grand Gallery. The 'big void's purpose may remain forever a mystery, unless authorities approve drilling a small hole and lowering a robot inside to investigate.
AL6g TIL that using astronomical data it has been determined that on this day, 16 Apr, Odysseus finally returned to Ithaca 3,192 years ago
vM1K TIL In 1993, Dateline NBC strapped model rocket engines to GM trucks for a televised crash-test so the trucks would explode on impact. After a GM lawsuit, three producers were fired and the reporter demoted.