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TIL about Henry Rathbone, a Major in the Union Army who was with President Lincoln at the time of his assassination in Ford's theate. Despite being stabbed and slashed by John Wilkes Booth, he tried to apprehend the assassin and escorted Mary Lincoln to her husband, later passing out from blood loss

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DdGP TIL mustard and wasabi aren’t spicy until crushed. Only when the plant’s cells are damaged can two otherwise harmless components mix and produce allyl isothiocyanate, the compound responsible for the familiar pungent taste.
NX0VE TIL that mantis shrimps have 16 color-receptive cones in their eyes, compared to just 3 in humans, giving them the ability to see a vast array of colors. They possess one of the fastest punches in the animal kingdom. They can strike with the speed of a .22 caliber bullet.
bjMN TIL That Popcorn when air popped is actually healthy. A single cup contains more anti oxidants than most of the vegetables people eat in a day as well as vitamins B, A, E, and K and iron, potassium and zinc.
grVlD TIL in the 1980s, parents were upset at a Seattle firm about phone bill charges after a half-hour show featuring Santa told children to hold the telephone up to the TV whereupon touch-tone sounds would dial a 1-900 number. A spokesman said this was to prevent children from dialing the wrong number.
m1kWO TIL about Plastivores. Bacteria, Fungi and even some insects that can break down and de-polymerize all kinds of plastics. Once thought to be rare in nature, Plastivorous activity is being increasingly found in a wide variety of places including sea-water and the Amazon.