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TIL in the 1980s, the networked ICON computer was commissioned by the Ontario, Canada Ministry of Education. Nicknamed the "bionic beaver", it ran on a Unix-like OS and featured a trackball. Subject to political debate for wasting money with a niche ecosystem, it was orphaned by 1994 and destroyed.

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4kMZR TIL that Roman Emperor Caligula would torment his senators by making them run in front of his chariot for miles. He also was so hairy that he made it a capital offense to mention goats in his presence.
NXn4b TIL: In the Zhou dynasty, it is believed the ruling class had excess "de" and so needed a large number of female partners or else the "DE" turns into malevolent "gui". They have special court ladies, the "nu shi" to ensure they sleep with women in the right order and amount.
EgmpP TIL Texaco illegally sold oil to Francisco Franco during the Spanish Civil War. The company was fined $20,000 but would continued to sell the regime oil until the end of the war.
JYK5k TIL that the only ancient Roman novel in Latin to survive in its entirety is called "The Golden Ass"
0aRN TIL: The Acanthopis snake is known as the Death Adder but that name is, somewhat ironically, a mishearing of the original name ‘Deaf Adder’ which comes from the fact that, unlike other snakes, they do not run away from human disturbance.