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TIL that in 2002 a man went to court for a £25 traffic ticket and demanded to settle with Trial By Combat. He challenge any champion nominated by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency to a battle with samurai swords, knives, or hammers.

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rN6G0 TIL a fungus infects ants' central nervous systems. Once it has been in an insect for 9 days, it acquires full control. It forces the ant to climb trees, then convulse and fall into the moist soil. Once there, the fungus waits until solar noon to force the ant to bite a leaf and wait for death.
jNmYM TIL when brainstorming the time travel plot for Star Trek: First Contact, they considered sending the crew back to the Renaissance, befriending Leonardo da Vinci, and having sword fights alongside phaser fights. The idea was scrapped for being too campy and Patrick Stewart refused to wear tights.
OMZa TIL Jamaica is seen as “the most homophobic place on Earth”. Homosexual men face ten years imprisonment, and cases of beatings and murder directed at the LGBT population are extremely commonplace.
e09mJ TIL that the photons that light up the earth are not 8 min. 20 sec old but thousands of years old trapped inside the Sun and recently freed.
e01GL TIL France banned short haul domestic flights where train alternative exists for environmental reasons. A flight from Paris to the same destination can be more than 70 times dirtier in terms of carbon emission than trains while saving few minutes.