› added 6 years ago

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[TIL] Some spiders are master recyclers. Orb-weavers remove their webs every morning by eating the silk. This way, protein from the silk is never wasted. They hide from predators all day and make a new web at night. I saw this myself this morning at on my balcony!

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l0x1 TIL that India is credited with being one of the first civilizations to inoculate their children in times of pestilence to boost immunity and stop the spread of disease (1,000 years ago). They made a small incision into the child’s arm, then rubbed it with Smallpox scabs and a thin cloth.
kOdGd TIL that when American soldiers came to the house of Richard Strauss in 1945, the famous German composer identified himself: "I am Richard Strauss, the composer of Rosenkavalier and Salome." One of the soldiers was a musician, and placed a sign at the home so others would not bother him.
rRR4x TIL of Gino Bartali - champion Italian cyclist. During WWII, he cycled through Italy carrying messages for the Italian Resistance. He even smuggled Jews in a wagon with a secret compartment telling people it was part of his training.
1a9wV TIL a guy in 19th Century China managed to convince over 30 million people he was Jesus Christ's brother, and attempted to rebel against the Chinese Government, starting one of the bloodiest civil wars in human history
0g1R TIL that the recipe for Tootsie Rolls calls for the previous day’s batch to be mixed in, so as to (theoretically) include some of the very first Tootsie Roll in every candy made