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TIL: Brussels sprouts actually do originate from Brussels

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gMQEA TIL that numerous countries have very different names in their native languages: China is Zhōngguó, Egypt is Misr, South Korea is Hanguk, North Korea is Chosŏn, Hungary is Magyarország, Armenia is Hayastán, Albania is Shqipëria, Georgia is Sak'art'velo, Bhutan is Druk Yul, and many more
b96YZ The rise of Genghis Khan and the Mongolian empire was responsible for the annihilation of an estimated 40 million people, but there were clearly more than a few conquests off the battlefield as well. A 2003 study suggests that 1 in 200 men are direct descendants of Genghis Khan. Studies of Y-chromosome data found that almost 8 percent of men living in the former Mongolian empire carry nearly identical Y chromosomes. Researchers believe this is attributed to a unique set of social selection circumstances put into play by the spread of the Mongolian empire. In this week’s "Today I Learned," research scientist Albert Lin elaborates on Genghis Khan as a romantic.
v1W8r TIL In 1802, Napoleon added a Polish legion to fight off the slave rebellion in Haiti. However, the Polish army joined the Haitian slaves in the fight for independence. Haiti's first head of state called Polish people "the White Negroes of Europe", which was then regarded as a great honour.
VWWp TIL That there is no scientific reason for the 21 year old drinking age in the U.S. It exists strictly because if states do not comply, they will lose 10% of their federal highway fund.
yQnpe TIL P.T. Barnum coined the term 'Bandwagon' in the 19th Century simply as the name for the wagon that carried a circus band