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TIL of “The Petition of the Sharks of Africa.” An 18th Century satirical letter written to the British Parliament asking them NOT to abolish slave trading. The “sharks” were angry that slave ships would no longer sink and asked for mercy so loyal shark subjects wouldn’t starve.

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GYdnJ TIL The human brain weighs 3 pounds. It comprises 60% of fat and is one of the fattest organs in the human body. Human brain has the capacity to generate approximately 23 watts of power when awake. Of the total blood and oxygen that is produced in our body, the brain gets 20% of it.
loY47 TIL That photons do not experience time. They "hit" something the same instant they are created, regardless of how far they travel, from their own perspective.
PL0Z TIL that the movie “Jaws” was supposed to feature a mechanical shark, but after several malfunctions, Spielberg decided to film from the shark’s point of view and suggest the presence of the shark via composer John William’s musical theme
16Q8D TIL about the Pascaline, a mechanical calculator invented by Blaise Pascal in 1642 to help his father, who was supervisor of taxes in Rouen. The Pascaline added and subtracted two numbers, and multipled and divided through series of additions or substractions
9Y4EX TIL muskrats are considered legally fish by the Catholic diocese of southeast Michigan, allowing them to be eaten on Fridays during Lent. When asked about the ruling the local bishop wrote that "anyone who could eat muskrat was doing penance worthy of the greatest of the saints."