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61

TIL that, once the Civil War began, Confederate general Robert E. Lee's plantation outside Washington DC was repurposed by the Lincoln administration to house a camp for escaped slaves. It contained a school, hospital, and cemetery, and it is now the site of Arlington National Cemetery.

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XERQ8 TIL a man once dared John P. Parker, an Underground Railroad conductor, to help his slaves escape. The man slept with the enslaved couple's baby in his room, knowing they wouldn't leave him behind. Parker snuck in, grabbed the baby & led everyone to freedom while the enslaver shot after them.
J1DyQ TIL that, to avoid predators, when the glass frogs are asleep, they remove nearly 90% of their circulating blood cells, storing what is essentially their entire circulatory system in one organ and resulting almost transparent
yQ9bM TIL Screech owls bring Texas blind snakes into their nests so the snakes will eat the parasites that feed on the owlets.
GANAj TIL Pat Morita (Mr. Miyagi) as a child was diagnosed with spinal TB. He was wrapped in a full body cast, told he would never walk, and spent most of the first 9 years of his life in hospitals being treated. When he was finally released his family was interned in a camp for the duration of WWII.
Yp60B TIL of the "Elfstedentocht" (eleven city tour). An ice skating tour held on natural ice in the province of Frisia. It visits all 11 historical towns in Frisia and spans almost 200 km. It can only take place when the weather is favorable and has only taken place 15 times since the first one in 1909.