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TIL that gunpowder was initially invented searching for an elixir of immortality

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Oo9Wa TIL The “stress hormone” cortisol is released by the adrenal glands in response to fear or stress. Researchers have studied the cortisol awakening response (CAR) and have found that cortisol is highest in the first hour of waking for people with an increased level of stress in their lives.
grVP7 TIL that California’s 1967 Magic Mountain Music Festival was favourably reviewed for safety in press accounts, as fight or disturbances were not an issue, and at the end of the day, trash was placed in or next to the garbage cans provided. The immense crowd left Mount Tamalpais as they had found it.
MWMb TIL In 2000, Taliban leader Mohammed Omar banned opium production in Afghanistan, effectively removing 70% of the world’s heroin supply.
e9WD TIL that Georgi Dimitrov, accused of conspiring to burn the Reichstag German in 1933, successfully defended himself in trial, including grilling Hermann Göring on the stand
yVeVe TIL director Brad Bird was inspired to make the movie "The Iron Giant" after his sister Susan was murdered by her husband, who shot her. His pitch was "What if a gun had a soul, and didn't want to be a gun?