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TIL that Bruce Springsteen once signed a kid's late note after the kid came to one of his concerts holding a sign saying he's be late to school tomorrow. The note read, “Dear Ms. Jackson, Xabi has been out very late rocking & rolling. Please excuse him if he is tardy.”

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via reddit.com

XEaeP TIL John Shakespeare, a glover and leather worker, was the father of the renowned English playwright. He became a municipal politician, serving as alderman, chief magistrate, and mayor of Stratford. Enforcing Queen Elizabeth's reforms against idolatry, he destroyed wall paintings in a local church.
Wknxo TIL there’s a species of parasitic nematode that induces “fruit-mimicry” in tropical ants. Infected ants develop bright red abdomens, tend to be more sluggish, and walk with their abdomens in a conspicuous elevated position. This causes frugivorous birds to confuse them for berries.
6EDMY TIL Sea Silk, one of the rarest fabrics in the world, is secreted by Pen Shell mollusks to attach themselves to rocks or the seafloor. When harvested from these mollusks and woven into thin fibers the silk is even lighter and smoother than conventional silk.
D1R9g TIL about an ancient method for mapping out irregular shapes using no conventional measuring tools. It is called a ticking stick, or also a spiling stick & flag in boat building boatbuilding
Oj97 TIL: Pedophiles have symbols they use to identify each other. A big hollow heart, with little triangles inside for boys, hearts for girls.