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TIL: The average American lost 2.6 IQ points to leaded gas; it's 5.7 points for those born between 1971 and 1974. Figure 2C of linked paper shows everyone aged 45-65 had high lead as a kid.

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dym8 TIL J.R.R. Tolkien finished his own translation of Beowulf in 1926, but never published it. One of his sons edited and published it for him this year.
xVaXg TIL As thanks for their assistance in the second World War, the Dutch cross-bred a species of tulip to resemble the Canadian flag
6Paw TIL We don’t know who made the Apollo 11 Moon flag. It was either one of three purchased by NASA secretaries on a lunch break, or ordered from a government catalog for $5.50. NASA would not confirm the manufacturer because they didn’t “want another Tang.”
nWnNG TIL that egg donors are often mislead about the dangers of the procedure because the industry is so lucrative. Reported long-term effects include "aggressive breast cancer, loss of fertility, and fatal colon cancer."
aweyJ TIL James Earl Ray, the man who assassinated Martin Luther King Jr, is the only person to escape Missouri State Penitentiary