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TIL alligators are scared of humans and it's usually safe to swim in most alligator infested waters. A 2010 report tallied all the reported alligator attacks over the 81 years from 1928 to 2009. It found there were only 24 deaths from alligators in the United States, most of them in Florida.

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oBAoo TIL There are only 4 authentic Thai pavilions built outside of Thailand. One being in Madison Wisconsin. It was a gift to the University of Wisconsin-Madison from the Thai government for the large Thai student population. The pavilion does not contain any screws or nails of any kind.
p89oe TIL some scholars view American patriotism as a sort of religion. They argue documents such as the Constitution are equivalent to holy scriptures, and figures such as George Washington are viewed like prophets or gods in religions.
kOr15 TIL that the moon is egg shaped. It appears to be a perfect circle because the gravitational force of the earth almost permanently has the tip of the moon pointed at it.
o5Vr TIL the Mobile Phone Throwing World Championships have been held annually in Finland since 2000. The event was created by a Nokia employee to create awareness of the rise in toxicity levels in landfills and lakes caused by discarded phones. The farthest throw was in 2014 at 362.3ft (110.42m).
JY7Jk TIL that the word for roller coasters literally translates to "Russian Mountains" in many languages, due to the fact that roller coasters originate from slides made of ice in Russia around the 17th century. However, in Russian, they are known as "американские горки"--American Mountains.