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TIL a computer program named “World One,” which was developed in 1973 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), predicts 2020 to be the year when a series of catastrophic events kick off a 20-year process of a slow demise of human civilization.

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via reddit.com

Ab8a TIL that during Mao’s China in 1958, thousands of sparrows were killed to try and alleviate a ‘pest’ problem they posed. In 1960 a huge amount of locusts appeared in China and ate all the crops due to the fact that their natural predator had been destroyed. 20 million Chinese people died after
AD70l TIL Scientists say schools in China should further increase outdoor time, including recesses, in order to reduce the risk of near-sightedness. In some parts of China, 90 per cent of high school graduates have nearsightedness
AkKd TIL that in 1989-1990 the Belgian Air Force successfully got two missile locks on a UFO, only to be outmaneuvered. The object accelerated from 240 km/h (150 mph) to 1100 km/h (683 mph) almost instantly, descending 900 m (half a mile) in less than 2 seconds, something that would kill a human pilot.
yLA8 TIL that the United States consumes over 90% of the world’s stimulant drugs, and that there has been a 700% increase in the use of these drugs since 1990.
7rkLx TIL that the mirror 'self awareness' test was conducted on ants, and the results showed that they may actually be self aware. A blue dot was painted on individuals in a place they could not normally see, and they did not attempt to clean it off until they were in front of a mirror.