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TIL Pumpernickel bread is believed to derive its name from High German terms that translate to "Devil's fart" or "farting devil." This etymology is accepted by Random House and Merriam-Webster

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oBvp8 TIL In 1890, a theater enthusiast named Eugene Schieffelin introduced European starlings mentioned in Shakespeare's plays to the American continent. They devoured entire orchards, costing farmers millions each year and now consuming nearly all the eggs of the nearly-extinct eastern bluebird.
Me9eK TIL about the One-electron Universe Theory, which states that the reason because all of the electrons have the same charge and mass is because they are just the same electron travelling through space and time
Egdgd TIL that in 1984, Sweden introduced a 0.5% tax on financial transactions. 50% of traders in Stockholm moved to London by 1990. The reduction in market activity resulted in the money raised from the tax being minimal, and actually reduced overall tax revenue due to reductions in capital gains tax.
pexZ TIL that in 2010, two women planning to blow themselves up on New Years Eve in Russia’s Red Square were foiled by a spam text message which blew one of them up early.
9YlAp TIL The Emperor's New Groove was originally intended to be a musical epic similar to the Lion King titled Kingdom of the Sun, but after bad test screenings, the poor box office performance of Pocahontas, and creative differences between the directors, it was made into a light comedy