› added 5 years ago

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TIL in 1968 Mao Zedong received a box of 40 mangoes from Pakistan. They were taken on a tour of China and became part of Chinese propaganda. A dentist that compared the mangoes to sweet potatoes in appearance was executed.

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E10V TIL: That “Chimpanzees, who cannot swim, have drowned in zoo moats trying to save others.” And “Given the chance to get food by pulling a chain that would also deliver an electric shock to a companion, Rhesus monkeys will starve themselves for several days.”
j67jv TIL butterflies remember being caterpillars Studies suggest they retain some memories even after liquefying themselves during metamorphosis.
jN06X TIL that Keegan-Michael Key (Key & Peele) and Dwayne McDuffie (writer on Ben 10, JL Unlimited, and Static Shock) are half-brothers. Key never knew the existence of his half-brother until after he had passed away at the age of 49.
LkAPZ TIL: A Harvard study found that graduate students are 3 time more likely to have depression than the average American. It suggest that this is due to doctoral students being overworked and underpaid and questioning "what is my purpose?"as most don't know when they have researched enough.
GD0j TIL in 1989, for April Fools’ Day, Virgin flew a UFO over London. When they landed, police “sent one lone policeman… across the field to greet the alien… A [character]…, dressed in an ET outfit, walked down the platform towards the bobby. He promptly turned and ran in the opposite direction!”