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TIL Barbie's original design was based on a German cartoon character named Lilli who was a saucy high-end escort. Lilli dolls were marketed to men who gave them as a gag gift at bachelor parties, dangled them from the rearview mirror, or gave them to girlfriends as a suggestive keepsake.

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XEmRP TIL: Sean Bean is so afraid of flying that while filming The Fellowship of the Ring, he chose to hike across the countryside rather than take a helicopter
KkLa TIL leafcutter ants do not eat leaves. They combine chewed-up leaves in their lair with their feces to cultivate a type of fungus, which the ants can eat.
LQlD9 TIL that influenza originated as an indirect result of the domestication of pigs and ducks
XENb6 TIL that Münchausen syndrome, where a person pretends to be ill to gain attention and sympathy, is more common in men while Münchausen syndrome by proxy, where a caregiver (usually mothers) fakes or causes illness/injuries to a vulnerable person under their care, is more common in women.
pp04 TIL Apple Computer was at least partially funded by the sale of “blue boxes” made by Woz which allowed the user to seize long distance circuits and make unbilled calls.