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143

TIL that Polar Bears have black skin and translucent fur, and only appear white because of luminescence

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QNKda TIL after murdering a woman in 1821, convicted killer John Horwood was hanged, had his body dissected and his skin was used to bind a book that contained the details of his crime in a practice called anthropodermic bibliopegy.
0d4pp TIL the University of Western Ontario has a wind tunnel big enough to hold a two-story house. The Insurance Research Lab for Better Homes is used to test the effects of hurricane-strength wind and windborne debris on structures. Weather aficionados call it the "Three Little Pigs Project."
VMVn8 TIL In 1976 Terry Kubicka was the first and last figure skater to legally perform a backflip in his performance at the Olympics, it was banned shortly after.
VM9Vp TIL The poet Charles de Gaulle, uncle of the general/politician of the same name, was fluent in Breton, Welsh, and Gaelic. Additonally de Gaulle wrote extensive poetry in the languages, but never visited a Celtic-speaking country, as his poor health confined him to his apartment in Paris.
XNX8 TIl Forensic Lip Readers have analyzed silent footage from World War 1 and were able to reconstruct conversations that were previously thought to be lost in time.