› added 12 years ago

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TIL that New College in Oxford was in need of new oak beams for it’s dining hall (the old ones were infested with beetles). They soon discovered that the original builders had planted them replacements hundreds of years before.

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m1KvM TIL that the widespread use of wigs, particularly in 17th-century Europe, was partly due to syphilis. The disease often led to hair loss and scalp sores. Wigs served to hide these symptoms, with scented powders masking associated odors.
j6MkM TIL Longyearbyen, Norway is the world's northernmost settlement with a population greater than 1,000. There is a ban on cats, a monthly alcohol purchase limit, and a requirement to carry a rifle while outside for protection from polar bears.
5VWa8 TIL that Stilton cheese cannot be produced in the village of Stilton. The cheese has the status of protected designation of origin, requiring that only such cheese produced in the three counties of Derbyshire, Leicestershire, and Nottinghamshire can be called Stilton. Stilton is in Cambridgeshire
ELr0 TIL that hammerhead sharks can reproduce asexually, one of the few animals to have that ability
pYOjN TIL Bananas Are Viewed As Bad Luck On a Boat, and Have Been Since the 1700’s