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TIL that the famed Rolls Royce Merlin aircraft engine used during WW2 era in the Hurricane, Spitfire and P-51 Mustang fighters is named after the bird of prey (a falcon, formerly known as pigeon hawk in US) and not the magician

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DG4j TIL: Surgeons who play video games make 37% fewer errors and complete surgery 27% faster. Video game skills are also a strong indicator of some surgical skills.
Lkd8P TIL that Werner Herzog claimed he would eat his own shoes if Errol Morris would ever complete the movie "Gates of Heaven". When he actually did, Herzog followed his own claim which is documented as the movie "Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe"
KYGNa TIL: There is a study which researches the effects of exercising while high at CU Boulder. The researchers had a CannaVan that rode alongside runners. It proved that running while high is more enjoyable on a chemical level as it induces the same effects as a "runner's high".
e0gbn TIL that there is a plant called Phallus indusiastus. Its name literally means "Erect penis wearing a skirt" and the structure of the plant resembles precisely that.
XElEj TIL Tom Clancy wrote his 1st book 'The Hunt for Red October' in 1982 and hoped to sell 5,000 copies but ended up selling 45,000 copies. The book received praised from Ronald Reagan leading to a further 300,000 hardcover & 2 million paperback copies sold.