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TIL The origins of Jackalopes (mythical horned rabbits) were likely due to sightings of rabbits infected with Shope papilloma virus which causes keratinous horn-like growths

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7Vyr TIL after WWII, a group of Jewish-extremists formulated a Holocaust-revenge plan to kill 6 million German citizens by poisoning the water-supply of Munich, Berlin, Weimar, Nuremberg and Hamburg. However, it was foiled by British police while the poison was in transit to Germany.
v1OKr TIL after 30 WWII veterans in their mid-nineties were shown ‘Dunkirk,’ the general consensus among them was that they loved the film and thought it captured events very accurately, but “thought the soundtrack was louder than the actual bombardment.” The comment amused Nolan greatly.
Nnde TIL that the Bayanzi tribe of the Congo would execute via decapitation with a twist. While alive, the head of the condemned would be connected to a springy sapling so that when it was cut off, it would be thrown through the air “With the force of a bomb”.
neb0b TIL Union General Ambrose Burnside was known for his unique beard, combining side whiskers with an unshaven chin. Thanks to him, we have the term "Sideburns"
neRKY TIL the surname "Esposito" and its variants comes from children who were abandoned ("exposed") in Italy (before the XVII century, when the law forbade it). Every person with that surname today descends from an exposed child that kept the surname the orphanage once gave them.