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TIL it is largely a myth that the Library of Alexandria was destroyed in a fire. Most of the collection had records elsewhere in the world. The Library of Alexandria was largely brought down by dwindling membership over many centuries. By the time it was destroyed, no books were housed there.

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YpDGP TIL of Ham, the chimp who was the first hominid in space, trained by NASA to operate a capsule in space. His trainer described the moment he was recovered from his capsule following the project – “I have never seen such terror on a chimp’s face”
yQG1a TIL In old Eastern Europe folklore vampires are obsessed with counting. Millet or poppy seeds were placed on the ground at the grave site of a presumed vampire, in order to keep the vampire occupied all night counting. Hence Count von Count on Sesame Street.
VDrm TIL Thousands of shipping containers are lost to the sea each year, and that if the containers cargo weight does not exceed 80% of the containers rated capacity, they will float.
W7wR9 TIL that certain U.S. cities such as Bloomington, Minnesota and Lexington, Kentucky have banned female ginkgo trees. This is because the female ginkgo trees have seeds that contain butyric acid, which is also found in rancid butter, and can smell like vomit or rotten eggs.
pMnA TIL Joe Pyne once started his interview with Frank Zappa by saying “So I guess your long hair makes you a woman.” to which Zappa responded “So I guess your wooden leg makes you a table!”