› added 3 weeks ago

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TIL that Agatha Christie—1st recipient of the Mystery Writers of America's Grand Master Award & "Best Writer of the Century" (Bouchercon World Mystery Conv.)—was criticized by Raymond Chandler, Julian Symons, and Edmund Wilson for being too artificial, banal, and superficial in her writings.

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OBK1 TIL there’s a tree in South Africa that has a bar inside it.
GpE5 TIL when Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, commander of the all-black 54th Regiment during the American Civil War, died at Fort Wagner, he was stripped and buried with his men as an insult. His father, however, proclaimed that he was proud to know that he rests with his brave and devoted soldiers.
YZWA TIL of African spiny mice that can shed up to 60% of the skin on their backs to escape predators. They then regrow hair follicles, skin, sweat glands and fur instead of scar tissue. And it is speculated that we could switch this mechanism on in humans.
ZXAG TIL that the stop sign has a unique eight-sided shape so that drivers facing the back of the sign know that oncoming drivers have a stop sign.
YQBP TIL Giraffes can last longer without drinking water than camels