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TIL the earliest known drinking straw dates back to 3000 BC to a Sumerian Tomb and was made out of gold. The Sumerians made straws to drink beer.

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oRO8L TIL there was an effort during WWII to train pigeons to guide missiles by strapping them in a harness and using their pecks to navigate. The pigeons were largely successful during closed loop tests with fast response time and high accuracy, but the project never came to fruition due to budget cuts.
dDgr TIL that in 1933, Dr. W. Franklin Dove, a biologist, created a “unicorn bull.” It became leader of the herd, but was also “unusually gentle and mild mannered.”
wA5M TIL that it was common belief in Medieval Europe that a magnet would lose its strength when in the presence of- among other things - garlic, goats’ blood and diamonds. This was disproved by surrounding a lodestone with 75 diamonds, then picking it up with a lump of iron.
R5oK7 TIL that Ancient Rome was mostly built without urban planning
eg5k TIL that five mental disorders (autism, ADHD, bipolar DO, major depression, schizophrenia) have been found to overlap, and all share genetic roots