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193

TIL that capsaicin, the element that gives peppers their spiciness, doesn't affect birds.

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M8Z0 TIL of the “Tocqueville Effect” which states that as social conditions and opportunities improve, social frustration grows more quickly.
0waDN TIL A medieval French soldier climbed up a toilet into a besieged castle to let his army in. King John of England had specifically requested that toilet be installed for personal use during church services. The castle’s fall led to English loss of Normandy and the signing of the Magna Carta.
9OxM TIL In January scientists reported a simple way to turn almost any kind of cell into stem cells. These findings were invalidated in peer review. The lead researcher, Haruko Obokata, was found guilty of misconduct, the papers were retracted, and her supervisor and co-author hanged himself.
GOR5 TIL the Pleiades (a cluster of stars) were used as a method for testing eyesight in ancient times, a soldier who could see at least 7 was given the job of scouts or archers.
WJ7X TIL Alexander Skarsgard’s (Eric from True Blood) first role in the US was Meekus, one of Zoolander’s roommates that died in a tragic gasoline fight accident