› added 3 years ago

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TIL banknotes in Scotland are unique. They are one of the only banknotes in the world to be issued by retail banks. Every banknote issued must be backed by an equivalent Bank of England note or Gold. Scottish banknotes are not legal tender.

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OGo14 TIL: Beauty Parlour Stroke Syndrome is an extremely rare phenomenon that describes a stroke caused by having your hair washed over a basin at a salon. It is thought to be the result of reduced blood flow to the brain caused by sustained distortion of the neck during the washing process.
PYJKZ TIL the first reliable pregnancy tests involved doctors injecting women's urine into frogs; if they laid eggs without mating, the woman was pregnant. This test was called the "Hogben Test" and was used widely for about 20 years until doctors began injecting mice and rabbits instead.
nW9Xo TIL That the moon appearing huge when it's near the horizon is a trick our brains play on us, you can remove the illusion by bending over and looking through your legs, or standing on your head and nobody is quite sure why.
MelYW TIL that in the early 1900s, it was believed that human cells in culture would proliferate continuously, but Leonard Hayflick proved that cells “remember” their replication level and have a limit to the number of times they can divide, also that cancer cells do not, so only they are immortal.
9YZrM TIL that a family in China adopted what they thought was a dog and raised it for 2 years, only to find out it was an Asiatic black bear. They reportedly couldn't figure out why the dog kept growing. It turns out that sort of mix-up happens fairly often.