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TIL that the phrase “mad as a hatter” comes from 18th- and 19th-century hat makers who suffered mercury poisoning from the chemicals used in felt production, leading to tremors, hallucinations, and erratic behavior.

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R7wDa TIL that the first known case of the Spanish Flu was reported at a military base in Kansas on March 11, 1918
Zpm9Y TIL sculptor Anish Kapoor bought exclusive rights to the Vantablack, world’s “blackest black". So artist Stuart Semple developed a new pigment “pinkest pink” to rival the exclusivity of Kapoor’s black. Semple’s pigment was released on sale to anyone in the world except Anish Kapoor.
1BX7 TIL It is illegal to lock your car doors in downtown Churchill, Manitoba in case someone needs to escape from a polar bear
e0Pg TIL there is a Son of Sam law designed to keep criminals from profiting from the publicity of their crimes, and first used against the serial killer David Berkowitz
e0wab TIL that there is a worldwide farmer suicide crisis. A CDC study found that farmers take their lives at a rate higher than any other occupation.