› added 3 years ago

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TIL that in 2001, in an attempt to mitigate the HIV and AIDS pаndemic, King Mswati III of Eswatini (Africa's only absolute monarch) banned sexual relations for girls under 18 for a 5-year period. 2 months later, he chose a 17 year-old to become his 13th wife. He was fined a cow, which he duly paid

mX9x TIL when a paper couldn’t think of a name for an article about Chris Hadfield they rang the Air Force who said “Just call it ‘Canadian Wins Top Test Pilot’ or something to that effect.” A friend sent Chris a copy of the article, it read "Canadian Wins Top Test Pilot or Something to that Effect”
lovE7 TIL Spallanzani, an Italian Catholic priest and biologist was one of the first to disprove abiogenesis (life from non-life) by using tight fitted pants on male frogs which lead to failure to copulate and thus failure to reproduce.
Wkrbo TIL the last mass execution in the US happened during WW2 when 7 German POWs in Arizona were executed for murdering a fellow POW. The perpetrators knew that the victim had divulged secrets to the US so they murdered him the day he arrived at the camp.
1a5E8 TIL that India is home to Malabar giant squirrels- three-foot-long, multi-colored squirrels that range from black, brown and orange to maroon and purple.
VMR7p TIL In 2007, seeds were found frozen below the permafrost. Thought to have been buried by Arctic ground squirrels around 31,500 to 32,300 years ago in the Ice Age. Out of 600,000 seeds, three embryos successfully germinated into plants. Currently the oldest confirmed viable seeds on Earth.