› added 8 months ago

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TIL Sarah Josepha Hale, the author of "Mary Had a Little Lamb," campaigned for decades to make Thanksgiving a national holiday, writing to five presidents. Lincoln finally agreed in 1863.

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E1KQw TIL that in 1910 spectroscopic analysis of volatile gases in the tail of Halley's Comet caused panicked buying of gas masks and quack "anti-comet pills" and "anti-comet umbrellas" by the public.
p8mmA TIL Researchers historically have avoided using female animals in medical studies specifically so they don't have to account for influences from hormonal cycles. This may explain why women often don't respond to available medications or treatments in the same way as men do
N7dDe TIL Richard Garfield, the creator of magic the gathering is the great-great-grandson of U.S. President James A. Garfield, and his great-uncle invented the paper clip.
PYlDn TIL that "Losing my religion" is an old phrase from the Southern USA meaning someone's about to lose their temper or reach the end of their rope.
9Vlm TIL: Dinosaurs as we see them in museums, movies and everywhere are “plausible guesses” as to what they looked like. Scientists joke we might be as far off as making elephants look like a giant hamsters.