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TIL when a liquid is close to a surface significantly hotter than its boiling point, it produces an insulating vapor layer that keeps it hovering above the hot surface. This is called the Leidenfrost effect and visible when water drops hit a hot pan and skid around instead of boiling away instantly.

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VBBGp TIL in 2012 a woman high on crystal meth set fire to a Swamp Cyprus tree estimated to be 3,500 years old. The tree, nicknamed The Senator, formed part of a public park where people could admire the living treasure. It did not survive the fire.
wAw1 TIL that letting worms eat your garbage creates worm castings, a substance with 35% increase in phosphorus and magnesium, and 50% more nitrogen than the initial waste. Cuba has been using this for over 25 years as an alternative to agricultural products unavailable to them due to the embargo.
D195e TIL A French Embassy worker engaged in a nearly 2 decades-long relationship with a Chinese individual he thought was a female, committing espionage to secure her and their supposed child's freedom from China. The true sex--male--of the French men's lover was not revealed until their arrest.
m1W8Y TIL in 2012, the remainder of the Wilhelm Unger Games in Germany were cancelled after a referee was running to measure the distance of a javelin throw while it was still in the air and was struck in the face and throat by it. The referee died after being taken to the hospital.
e0aJE TIL about the attempt to colonize Panama by Scotland in 1698. An utter failure, 20% of the wealth of Scotland was lost in addition to the deaths of thousands of colonists.