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TIL that Ivan the Terrible of Russia had a bodyguard corps that wore black clothing and rode black horses. They also had a severed dogs head attached to their saddles, using them to “sniff out” treason. Due to the lack of taxidermy, a constant supply of fresh heads was needed.

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KO7w9 TIL in the 18th century rich people would keep ornamental hermits on their estate as a status symbol. They would be fed and cared for by the estate owner, almost like a pet.
X01YQ TIL Nasa estimates a 35% increase in heat transfer would reduce the chances of Yellowstone erupting to almost zero. One proposal is to simply pump more water into the supervolcano.
ANX8a TIL in 2018, engineers with the New Jersey Department of Transportation had to reverse-engineer a steel bridge for a rehabilitation project, because the files with the original plans were destroyed in the collapse of the World Trade Center on 9/11.
X0AoR TIL that the 2010 FIFA world cup song "Waka Waka" by Shakira is actually based on a 1986 song "Zangaléwa", by Cameroonian band Golden Sounds, which was a hit not only across Africa but also in Colombia with the help of West African DJs where Shakira heard the tune when she was a child.
Bl9b TIL that, in order to communicate with the Shoshone tribe, Lewis and Clark would speak English to Corps member Francois Labiche, who would speak French to the interpreter Toussaint Charbonneau, who would speak Hidatsa to his Shoshone wife Sacagawea, who would speak Shoshone to Chief Cameahwait.