› added 9 years ago

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TIL Sir Ian McKellen was born at the start of WWII with the war having a lasting impact on him in his young age - “only after peace resumed … did I realise that war wasn’t normal”

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via reddit.com

MeyAm TIL - A symbiotic fungus can turn regular pine trees into carnivorous plants that consume up to 90% of soil-dwelling insects the fungus-infected roots can reach for their nitrogen, which the trees use for growth
lmeK TIL Thomas Hicks ran the 1904 Olympic marathon while drinking a mix of strychnine, egg whites and brandy which made him hallucinate and become sick. His trainers had to carry him over the finish line but he was still declared the winner, with the slowest gold medal time in Olympic marathon history.
vP1ex TIL that in 1974 there were at least 5 serial killers active including the BTK Killer, John Wayne Gacy, and Ted Bundy.
4X68w TIL Before he was a famous musician Johnny Cash was a military code breaker for the US Air Force. He worked as a as a Morse Intercept Operator in Germany, handling the hardest jobs, intercepting Russian intelligence & deciphering code transmissions. He copied the 1st news of Stalin’s death.
kOjA4 TIL that Axolotls can regenerate the same organs and limbs up to 5 times, including its heart, arms, spine and parts of it's brain!