› added 4 months ago

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TIL that Marilyn Monroe’s real name was Norma Jeane Mortenson. She legally changed it to Marilyn Monroe before her first major modeling gig.

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DQYLv TIL there’s a parasite that makes rats attracted to cat urine so they get eaten and the parasite goes into the cat, its preferred host
e0RB5 TIL that while the Bald Eagle is widely known as a national symbol of the United States, the American Bison is the national mammal. The population of American Bison, once 60+ million, dropped to <600 by 1889, but due to conservation efforts is now 500k and growing.
p8GD8 TIL the founder of the Smithsonian, James Smithson, was a British scientist who willed his fortune to his nephew and in the event his nephew died with no heirs, to the US government to found an "Establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men"; having never visited the US.
dkQQ TIL in 2013, Jeremy Runnells, a 6th generation Mormon, compiled a list of concerns he had about Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon, and church history. The church never responded to his questions, but his research went viral and has caused many to question and subsequently leave the church.
gyk8 TIL that U.S. Route 491 had its name changed from Route 666 in 2003 after people petitioned the American Association of State Highway & Transport Officials as they believed altering the name might lift the curse that many thought had been placed on the road.