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TIL the phrase “as smooth as a milkmaid’s skin” comes from the fact that milkmaids were often exposed to cowpox, giving them partial immunity to smallpox and leaving their skin free of pox scars.

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M7xAb TIL that the British SAS was originally a fake regiment used to deceive Axis intelligence and was made real in 1941 by David Stirling who wanted a rogue regiment. Their first successful mission was stealing euipment (including a piano) from a New Zealand base
6E8gQ TIL: In the movie Gremlins (1984) monkeys were supposed to provide the special effects. The test monkey panicked when the mask was put on him and he ran around the editing room screaming and pooping everywhere.
YpbLd TIL that a chunk of Tissint meteorite, a Martian meteorite that crashed in Morocco in 2011, is worth 10 times the price of gold, at prices ranging from $8,500 to $28,350 per ounce.
rNOxd TIL Ohio was technically not admitted to the United States until 1953; before that it was still part of the Northwest Territory. In 1803 the State filed a petition to join the union, but their constitution was never ratified. In 1953, a bill was passed admitting Ohio, but backdated to March 1, 1803.
88DX TIL that lobster used to be so plentiful that servants in Massachusetts had a clause in their contracts demanding they not be fed it more than 3 times a week.