› added 10 months ago

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TIL associating Republicans with red and Democrats with blue wasn't widespread until 2000. Before then, presidential maps most commonly showed the opposite, which was changed to disassociate the Democratic Party from socialism.

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4Xm6o TIL the small elephant hawk moth (Deilephila porcellus) gets its common name for the caterpillar head's resemblance to an elephant's trunk. Hawk moths are also known as sphinx moths because the caterpillar resembles the Great Sphinx of Giza when resting. They are found in Europe and northern Africa.
8e16a TIL that American citizens must have a valid U.S. passport to enter American Samoa
pbkA TIL Over 500 years ago, Leonardo da Vinci made an interesting observation about trees. He concluded that the total thickness of a tree’s branches is equal to the total thickness of the tree trunk. Trees across many species obey this rule. Explanations involve hydrological and structural theories.
RX16 TIL Dogs are used in courtrooms to help child crime victims tell their stories
QNknd TIL that after a flood killed thousands and devastated the economy, California legislators and State employees worked unpaid for a year and a half.