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TIL In 1493, Columbus mistook manatees for mermaids and wrote “they are not so beautiful as they are said to be, for their faces had some masculine traits.“

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gMg7b TIL scientists accidentally dumped sperm from a paddlefish on sturgeon eggs, creating a hybrid “sturddlefish”. Crossing of the two fish was considered impossible as their closest common ancestor dates back more than 180 million years and the two species have no chance of meeting in the wild.
GAWmg TIL the younger sister of the famous writer Erich Maria Remarque (All Quiet on the Western Front) was beheaded on 16.12.1943 in Berlin for antiwar and antinazi words.
KYQbE TIL The lead singer of The Human League, Paul Oakey, hated the song "Don't You Want Me" so much that he demanded the record company include a large colour poster with the 7" single because he felt fans would "feel ripped off" by the 'substandard' single alone. It would become their biggest hit.
y70X TIL Pope Francis used to be a night club bouncer
neJgB TIL Harrison Schmitt, the last man to walk on the moon, had an allergic reaction to moondust