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TIL that in order to prove that the bacteria H. pylori could cause stomach ulcers, an Australian doctor named Barry J. Marshall drank a culture of H. pylori, developed an ulcer, and successfully treated it with antibiotics. He won a Nobel Prize for it in 2005.

Read more nobelprize.org

via reddit.com

Z84jY TIL in the original cut of The Santa Clause Tim Allen's character looks at a phone number and says "1-800-SPANK-ME. I know that number." This scene was cut from all home media releases after a kid in Washington called the number - which led to an active sex hotline - and racked up a $400 phone bill.
yQEme TIL that, on the 90s show "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" the powder thrown on the fire to make it roar was Coffee-Mate. This is demonstrated in the Hulu documentary "The Orange Years: The Nickelodeon Story"
lo0EB TIL Accumulated ear wax can tell a whale's age. During the summer months, whales produce light-colored earwax. When they migrate to warmer regions before winter comes, the earwax formed is dark-colored. The number of alternating light and dark layers tells you how old the whale is
0wZaR TIL in 1977, a woman in New Mexico saw a burn mark in her tortilla that looked like the face of Jesus. She then built and ran the "Shrine of the Miracle Tortilla" until 2006 when the tortilla was dropped and broken during show-and-tell at a local elementary school.
bAJ0 TIL A Russian MIG Pilot defected during the cold war along with his aircraft. When he arrived in the USA he was convinced the CIA had specially stocked the grocery stores he went to because he couldn’t believe the vast array of products for sale.