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TIL that from 1746 until the precedent was overturned in 1996, English law considered bagpipes not a musical instrument, but a weapon of war.

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R76p4 TIL a bee creates lift by clapping its wings together above its back. When the wings separate, air fills the void, and the downward swinging wings generate lift. The failure to account for this is the basis for the myth that bees shouldn’t be able to fly.
QDyk TIL Despite the US owning the most gun per capita, team USA has never won an Olympic medal in the one winter event (biathlon) that involves guns.
v1daD TIL about James Christopher Harrison, an Australian blood donor whose rare plasma composition has helped in the treatment of Rhesus disease. In May 2018 he made his final donation (1173rd) at the age of 81 after having saved 2.4m babies during his lifetime as a donor.
Ook5L TIL the Danish government permits adults and children to kill dolphins and whales with knives and lances at a public event on the Faroe Islands each year called “grindadrap.” They kill about 1,000 annually, or 1 whale or dolphin for every 50 Faroese people.
b6WPa TIL mines around Spruce Pine, North Carolina are the source of the world's purest form of silicon sand. A series of geological processes that occurred 350m years ago caused the silicon to form almost without impurities. It is highly sought after and is probably in the device you are reading this on.