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TIL It takes a native English speaker 23-24 weeks to become proficient in Spanish but 88 weeks to become proficient in Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, or Korean.

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N7VxJ TIL The Dead Sea scrolls listed Goliath's height as 6 feet, 9 inches (four cubits and a span). It also states that David struck him at the leg rather than the head, causing Goliath's fatal stumble.
wodXM TIL the Penan people in Malaysia have such a highly generous / egalitarian society that they have no word for 'thank you' because help is assumed and therefore doesn't require a 'thank you'.
VMPAB TIL in the 1880s Lamar Thompson was so disgusted that saloons and brothels were tempting Americans into “vices” and hated the "sinful" behavior of fellow humans who engaged in sex, drinking and going out for “fun” that he invented the roller coaster to distract people from sinning.
rKBM TIL that since 1985 the Saudi government has ordered the destruction of 95% of Mecca’s historic buildings, most over a 1000 years old. It’s estimated that there now fewer than 20 buildings left from the time of Muhammad.
696kW TIL that earth’s rotation is changing speed. It's actually slowing. This means that, on average, the length of a day increases by around 1.8 seconds per century.