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TIL an orphan from Uganda, who spent his youth as a human scarecrow on his abusive uncle’s farm, ran away at 14. With the help of a charity called YES Uganda, he has since earned 2 degrees, started a biotech company, founded a non-profit, and given a talk at TED.

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oBG7 TIL when Radiohead’s album Kid A appeared on Napster a month before it was due to release, Thom Yorke responded with “It encourages enthusiasm for music in a way that the music industry has long forgotten to do.”
d8RQ TIL that in 2010 we sent 192 000 text messages a second, and that American teen girls send a 100 texts messages a day, on average.
xV0og TIL of Vittorio Emanuele, son of the last King of Italy. He was banned from entering Italy until 2002 when he renounced all claim to the throne. Controversially he has also been tried on charges of murder, criminal association, racketeering, conspiracy, corruption and exploitation of prostitution.
XEomQ TIL that there is now serious scientific study supporting the idea that trees thrive in interconnected communities, as they communicate toward mutual goals. Sharing sunlight, raising young, conserving resources. Mycorrhizal networks of tree roots and fungi may operate in similar manner as a brain.
YplLx TIL that New Zealand's most decorated battalion in WW2 is the 28th, or the Māori Battalion. They were renowned for their fierce fighting spirit and extreme bravery, such that Rommel is even rumored to have said: "Give me the Maori Battalion and I will conquer the world".