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17

TIL that from 1264 to 1827, anyone who received a Master of Arts degree from Oxford had to swear that they would never forgive Henry Symeonis. By 1608, no one knew who he was or what he had done.

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8DkZ TIL wacky waving inflatable arm flailing tubemen, marketed as “Air Rangers” or “Scary Dancers”, are very effective scarecrows when used to protect vineyards and orchards.
wonE1 TIL Captain Bligh of the HMS Bounty later supported small farmers against the British military as Governor of New South Wales, and was overthrown in Australia's only military coup in history.
OAo6 TIL John Adams said “There is nothing I dread so much as a division of the Republic into two great parties, each arranged under its leader and converting measures in opposition to each other.” Despite this, nothing was written in the Constitution about political parties
JYRlk TIL that some people can voluntarily control the tensor tympani, a muscle within the ear. Contracting these muscles produces vibration and sound. The sound is usually described as a rumbling sound.
JYlW1 TIL the “my phone is listening in on me” meme is not entirely baseless: Study's findings suggest that eavesdropping activity would not be detected by current security mechanisms. Not only microphones, but also seemingly harmless motion sensors are a potential eavesdropping channel in smartphones.