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TIL that "mayday!" is derived from the French "m'aidez!", or "help me!". It was chosen for air communication by an Englishman in the 1920s.

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dDZbE TIL after Columbus landed in the Americas in 1492, they discovered Taino people roasting meat over a grill, allowing the flames and smoke to envelop the meat for a certain flavor. Called "barabicu" by the Taino, the technique spread to Europe and the colonies, and is now known as Barbecue.
Ay17 TIL the reason water feels as it feels when it touches the skin is actually a complex electro-chemical reaction. The sensory inputs are a combination of the pH of your body and the water, the temperature of your body and the water, atmospheric pressure, and molecular polarity.
Z8jaR TIL readers of Melanie Rawn's Exiles series have been waiting 20 years for the final book.
9YdG6 TIL Sir David Attenborough is the only person to win a BAFTA for a programme in black and white, colour, HD, 3D and 4K.
698VX TIL Finland is considered 'the world's happiest country,' and has won that title six years in a row. Next door neighbor Russia is ranked 70th. U.S is ranked 15.