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TIL that an 18th century Presbyterian minister’s efforts to mathematically prove the existence of God now helps keep spam out of our inboxes

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EX4P TIL the inventor who first powered a vehicle using steam had his designs stolen from him, died destitute, and was buried in a pauper’s pit.
x6P70 TIL the chromosomal cap, called telomere, grows shorter during cell division. Researchers also found out that most old people have shorter telomeres, that some telomeres had never shortened in those who lived past 100 years old, and that cancer cells don't die because their telomeres don't shorten.
Y7EEd TIL 5 Kyoto temples have bloodstained ceilings taken from Fushimi Castle floorboards, site of a siege & mass suicide that delayed Ishida Mitsunari’s forces. This allowed Tokugawa leyasu to prepare for the battle of Sekigahara, unifying Japan. The ceilings honor the fallen samurai of Fushumi Castle.
VMRL4 TIL the first person to stream their life on the internet was Jennifer Ringley aka Jennicam, a 19 year old woman who from 1996, broadcasted her life from her college dorm room 24/7. At its peak, she got 7 million hits per day, a significant proportion of the internet at the time.
dmNj TIL Atheists are banned from holding public office by the constitutions of 7 states. Arkansas, Maryland, Mississippi, Texas, Tennessee, South Carolina, & North Carolina: “The following persons shall be disqualified for office: First, any person who shall deny the being of Almighty God.” ART IV,Sec 8