› added 9 months ago

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TIL Lake Baikal contains 22–23% of the world's fresh surface water (more than all of the North American Great Lakes combined)

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wLeW TIL that Lucy Vodden, the woman who inspired the classic Beatles song “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” died of LUPUS at age 46.
YpLMP TIL That Frederick II, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire who was highly interested in languages, raised 6 young infants without any human interaction in an effort to discover the "natural" language of the human race. The only result was the death of the babies, as they needed human contact to survive
RXR4 TIL that the French and British navies fought in 1781 at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. The French navy won decisively, blocking reinforcements to British forces at Yorktown. This forced British forces to surrender and secured American independence.
N4R6 TIL Hemingway underwent shock therapy to treat his manic depression (bi-polar disorder). The treatment obliterated his memory, which made it impossible for him to write. This was the catalyst that sparked his desire to commit suicide.
1aew4 TIL that the German constitution obliges the wealthy to help others (I believe this basically means that you have to pay taxes): "Property entails obligations. Its use shall also serve the public good." (Article 14, GG)