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TIL of the Clay Belt, a large area suitable for farming in northern Ontario and Quebec. Although land is free for use and very fertile, settlement attempts repeatedly failed; one farmer gave up because “there are seven months of snow, two months rain, and all the rest is black flies and mosquitoes”.

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LA0v TIL In 2009, the UK Government joined the Netherlands and other European nations in encouraging teens to masturbate at least daily. An orgasm was defined as a right in its health pamphlet.
wL9Lo TIL Henry Jay Lewis was an American double-bassist and orchestral conductor. A child prodigy, he joined the L.A. Philharmonic at age 16, becoming the first African-American instrumentalist in a major symphony orchestra and later, the first African-American symphony orchestra conductor in the U.S.
kOawe TIL sharks enter a trance-like state known as tonic immobility when turned upside down. A female orca off the coast of California was observed rolling a Great White over to induce this state and was one of the first cases of predation on a Great White in the wild by anything other than a human.
bQbZ TIL Australia & New Zealand introduced long service leave in the 1860s, a 13 week vacation for every 10 years of work, to allow time to sail back to England, have a 3 week holiday, and sail back.
X86j TIL “fika” is a concept in Swedish culture that means “to have coffee, cake and a chit-chat”. It’s a big part of the culture and most companies have two daily fika breaks at 9am and at 3pm.