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TIL That a French author proposed cats be genetically engineered to change color in the presence of dangerous levels of radiation, and that a mythology be reinforced in culture to ward people from places where cats exhibit this behavior.

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W7xwA TIL a 2019 study by Drexel University (in addition to many other studies) found that houseplants do not improve air quality or otherwise purify the air.
ZWOv TIL that Claudette Colvin was the first person arrested for resisting bus segregation. However, since she was only 15 years old (and pregnant), the NAACP decided their secretary, Rosa Parks, would better represent the movement as the ideal segregation protester who would spark the bus boycotts.
4Xb4b TIL that the original XBOX prototype was literally a gigantic X. It was carved out of aluminum and cost $18,000 to manufacture, but you could actually play on it.
loyRV TIL of the folk-punk band “This Bike Is A Pipe Bomb”. On three separate occasions, stickers for the band affixed to bicycles resulted in police evacuations and bomb squad responses.
N74M1 TIL Benjamin Franklin had an abusive older brother who forced him to sign an indenture until he was 21 in Boston. His brother was abusive partly because Benjamin showed talent. At age 17, he ran away penniless to Philadelphia, gained connections and jump-started his political career.