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TIL the “t” in “often” became silent during the 16th and 17th centuries to simplify the word’s articulation, but as literacy rose in the 1800s, “t” began to reenter speech as more people became aware of spelling.

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gMQbL TIL After bragging to fellow insurgents about shooting down a Chinook with an RPG which killed 38 US and Afghan army personnel, US intelligence traced and tracked the individual before dropping four 500lb bombs on his truck and following up with attacks by a C-130 gunship and Apache helicopters
6E7aY TIL Nicholas Culpeper, a 17th century physician married to wealthy heiress, enabling him to provide services free of charge while translating Latin medical text into English then sold them very cheaply for the poor who can't afford expensive physicians
1la4 TIL that the concept of a zombie apocalypse is four thousand years old. In the heroic epic about him, Gilgamesh, the mythical king of Uruk spurned the advances of Ishtar, the goddess of fertility. She became enraged and threatened to “raise the dead who will outnumber the living and devour them.”
KOpxw TIL that rock music has died out in the UK so much that the Rock & Metal Number One spot consists of practically nothing but Don't Let the Bells End around every Christmas, and Bohemian Rhapsody for the rest of the year.
Me1Xm TIL The product that became Nutella was created by Pietro Ferrero. He decided to try and create a cheaper alternative to chocolate, which, due to the Second World War, was in short supply. It was made by combining hazelnuts, which were easily available locally, and a little cocoa.