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TIL in order to keep Genghis Khan’s burial site a secret, Khan’s successors killed anyone who witnessed his funeral procession. Some 800 soldiers are said to have massacred the 2,000 people who attended his funeral, before being summarily executed themselves.

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VMdGQ TIL Polar bears often hunt walruses by simply charging at a group of them and eating the ones that were crushed or wounded in the mass panic to escape. Direct attacks are rare.
eplZ5 TIL Mowing your lawn every two weeks, instead of every week, increases bee populations by 30 percent.
XEGYX TIL of a parasitic fungus called cordyceps that infects ants. Once a spore finds a host it grows a network of roots inside, delivering chemicals that will eventually give the fungus full control of the ant, using the body to reach a suitable place to grow. It anchors down with its jaws, permanently.
M5o0 TIL the Larry the Lobster sketch on SNL where Eddie Murphy asks the viewers to call-in to spare Larry’s life caused such a spike on phone networks that AT&T established communication with TV networks so that they could be warned of potentially disruptive future events. It remains in use to this day
5VWBr TIL that in 1948, a flood destroyed the town of Vanport, Oregon. The local college refused to shut down and became known as “the college that wouldn't die". Today that school is Portland State University.