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TIL that a whale’s ear wax builds up over the course of its life and can be analysed like tree-rings.

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jd6X TIL Genghis Khan’s chief adviser was a captured scholar named Yelu Chucai. His contribution to the Mongol Empire was to suggest that the Mongols not kill everyone, but tax them instead.
kOJk7 TIL Led Zeppelin's lead singer Robert Plant was horrifiied when his Honeydrippers ballad "Sea of Love" became his best-selling single. He was sure his career would be ruined, the industry seeing him as a love singer instead of a rock artist.
VeXB TIL Blazing Saddles marks the first time a fart recording had been used in cinema
16JXr TIL That in 1774 James Cook charted Sandy Island off the coast of New Caledonia. Despite its' inclusion in official maps and charts for over two centuries in 2012 an Australian survey vessel proved the island had never actually existed and may have been a 'pumice raft' floating in the area.
rRLNd TIL contrary to the popular belief that drinking lots of water is good for you, drinking TOO much water can be bad for you and cause hyponatremia. Hyponatremia happens when your sodium level is too low in your bloodstream.