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TIL of the Iftar Cannon, an Egyptian tradition of signaling the end of a day's fasting period during Ramadan by firing a single cannon shot at sundown. As a result, some homes and hotels use prop cannons as a type of Ramadan decoration.

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5YXNR TIL that in 1908 Germany issued "transvestite certificates" with the support of scientists and psychologists. The certificates allowed people to legally wear clothing that contradicted their assigned biological sex.
mxkGP TIL that when the Japanese emperor announced Japan's surrender in WW2, his speech was too formal and vague for the general populace to understand. Many listeners were left confused and it took some people hours, some days, to understand that Japan had, in fact, surrendered.
0wkEj TIL that James Eagan Holmes, the guy who committed the Aurora shooting during the premiere of The Dark Knight Rises, was sentenced to 13 life sentences in prison, with an additional 3,318 years for rigging his apartment with bombs and 140 counts of attempted murder
4wpR TIL that Ancient Roman politician Gaius Gracchus had a bounty placed on his head that was equivalent to his head’s weight in gold. The head was delivered, but the reward was never paid because it was discovered that his captor removed Gaius’ brain and filled his head with molten lead.
rRnMM TIL when whales die and sink, their carcasses, known as "Whale falls", provide a bounty of nutrients for deepwater creatures