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TIL In 1656 the City of London soldiers were ordered to patrol the streets and seize any food they discovered being prepared for Christmas celebrations. They saw Christmas as a wasteful festival that threatened Christian beliefs.

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epEm6 TIL that in 1567, surgeon Ambroise Pare decided to test whether bezoar stones, which were believed to cure poison, actually worked. He made a deal with a man condemned to death by poison: to give him a bezoar and let him go free if he lived. The man died in agony, proving that bezoars do not work.
WkjJL TIL The FBI held a conference with all the top video game devs of the 80's and made them compete to get the "Winners Don't Use Drugs" slogan programmed first. The winner's products would be showcased at an FBI anti-drug press conference.
NXg0M TIL that there are more possible chess games than there are atoms in the observable universe.
wLR9J TIL that the white rind of a watermelon, between the pink flesh and green skin, is loaded with nutrients and just as healthy as the commonly eaten pink flesh.
78OY7 TIL: Over 50,000 Christians have been killed in Nigeria for their religion since 2009 (as of March 23)