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TIL Sometime around 1500 A.D., an African farmer planted a maize seed imported from the New World. Today, maize accounts for more than half the calories people consume in many African countries. Maize supplanted Africa’s own historical grain crops—sorghum, millet, and rice

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P17GV TIL that Parmentier, to encourage the consumption of potatoes which people were wary of, decided to have the field where he grew them guarded by armed men during the day but not at night. Guarding the field increased the value of the crop; at night it was easy to steal tubers, and consumption spread
DQN9V TIL that Adolf Hitler was self-conscious of his knees being photographed, and banned any existing pictures of his knees from public circulation during his time in power.
9YgDm TIL The United States Government encouraged Nazis to emigrate to the states and compensated them in exchange for foreign intelligence. Many of them were war criminals, yet they faced little to no punishment and were allowed to live out the rest of their lives in America
VMmvG TIL that a traditional Sardinian cheese, casu marzu, is eaten with live maggots in it. The maggots break down the cheese’s fats, making it exceptionally soft. Each cheese has thousands of maggots in it. The larvae can launch up to 15 cm, so diners hold their hands above the cheese to prevent this.
YlQd TIL that humans’ closest relative, Bonobos, have a peaceful female-run society where sex is used to resolve conflict. They “make love, not war.”